The same day that Institutional Investor hosts the 8th Annual Allocators’ Choice Awards in New York, allocators in Europe will be recognized for their work driving meaningful change across the industry at the Institutional Investor Recognition Awards in Copenhagen.
The event, held on September 18, recognizes excellence in the asset management industry across four categories: diversity champion of the year, engagement and stewardship champion, influencer of the year, and next generation allocator.
Finalists were selected after II’s Europe team recommended finalists to a panel of seven judges, which includes the former CEOs for Railpen (John Chilman) and AP7 (Richard Gröttheim), as well as Bluesky Group’s former investment chief Mark Burbach.
Nominees for the Diversity Champion award have promoted diversity in multiple ways within their organization, like Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, for its targeted programs like GAIN internships, or NBIM, for creating a Women in Investment club to inspire female students. Other nominees in the category promoting diversity and inclusion are Railpen, AP6, BIL Suisse, and PGGM.
Meanwhile, the Engagement and Stewardship Champion category — with nominees LD Fonde, Folksam, Church of Sweden’s pension fund, Elo, and PUBLICA — honors those who actively influence corporate behavior. Folksam earned its place by divesting from Tesla over ethical concerns, and PUBLICA for pioneering a major cross-border pension fund partnership.
Individual advocacy is recognized in the Influencer of the Year category, with nominees Olga Hancock, Peter Juhl Nielsen, Jens Munch Holst, Pontus Lidbrink, Timo Löyttyniemi, and Alessandro Greppi. Hancock is a standout for her climate activism at forums like COP29, and Nielsen for driving crucial discussions on gender diversity in finance.
Finally, the rising stars of the industry are celebrated as Next Generation Allocators. The full list of nominees is Cosmo Cooper, Marco Molinari, Ingrid Hartmann Bjørndalen, Alexandra Voss, Marcus Astesana, Johannes Hakala, Mariia Bondarenko, and Juli Avlokhashvili.
Winners will be announced on September 18 at the event in Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen.
