Governance Alpha with Chris Ailman and Ashby Monk

CAIA Association is a global network of forward-thinking investment professionals, redefining the future of capital allocation in a world where traditional and alternative investments are converging at an unprecedented pace. United by a commitment to improving investment outcomes, we lead with authority, educate to inspire, and connect people who turn insight into action. CAIA Association creates dynamic and captivating learning experiences designed to engage investment professionals at every level. Its programs – the CAIA Charter and the CAIA.nxt™ platform – offer critical levels of access to a comprehensive curriculum that equips the investment community with the skills and knowledge needed to build modern portfolios. CAIA Association is a global member-driven community of more than 14,000 professionals, united by a shared commitment to improving investment outcomes and building a more aligned, principled capital market system.

Christopher Ailman has been the chief investment officer of CalSTRS since October 2000. He leads an investment staff of more than 200 and oversees a portfolio valued at $340 billion as of April 30, 2024. He has more than 37 years of institutional investment experience. He has served on several boards and advisory boards in the U.S. and U.K. He represents institutional investors on the MSCI Index Editorial Advisory Board, the PRI Asset Owners Advisory Committee, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Investor Advisory Group, and the Toigo Foundation. He is the chair of the 300 Club and co-chair of the Milken Global Capital Markets Committee. In 2016, he was part of the first cohort to achieve a Fundamentals of Sustainable Accounting (FSA) credential. Ailman is recognized as one of the top CIOs both in the U.S. and globally. He has received numerous awards and recognitions: the Institute for Fiduciary Education’s CIO of the Year in 2000, the Richard Stoddard Award for service in the investment of public pensions in 2003, the Distinguished Service Award for Advancement of Latinos in Business from the New American Alliance in 2006, and Institutional Investor magazine’s Large Public Fund Manager of the Year Award in 2011. In 2013, AI-CIO magazine named Ailman the No. 3 CIO in the world and Investment Innovator of the Year. In 2017, Ailman received Institutional Investor magazine’s first Lifetime Achievement Award; and in 2018, he was named the top CIO in the world by Chief Investment Officer magazine. He is a regular guest on television and radio and is frequently quoted in major financial publications. Ailman has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his Certified Financial Planner designation from the University of Southern California. He is married with three daughters and is a committed Promise Keeper.

Dr. Ashby Monk is currently a Senior Research Engineer in the School of Engineering at Stanford University and holds the position of Executive & Research Director of the Stanford Research Initiative on Long-Term Investing. Ashby has more than 20 years of experience studying and advising investment organizations. He has authored seven books and published hundreds of research papers on institutional investing that have been read by tens of people. His latest book, The Technologized Investor, won the 2021 Silver Medal from the Axiom Business Book Awards in the Business Technology category. Outside of academia, he has co-founded several companies that apply advanced analytics to drive better capital allocation and investment decision-making, including RCI Navigator (acquired by Addepar), FutureProof, NetPurpose, D.A.T.A., GrowthsphereAI, SheltonAI, Long Game Savings (acquired by Truist), and KDX. He is also a member of the CFA Institute’s Future of Finance Advisory Council and was named by CIO Magazine as one of the most influential academics in the institutional investing world. Ashby received his Doctorate in Economic Geography at the University of Oxford and was a member of Christ Church College. He holds a Master’s in International Economics from the Université de Paris I - Panthéon-Sorbonne. And he received his Bachelor's from Princeton University, where he tells people he majored in rowing.