The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, an investment institution owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, has appointed James Kester as chief investment officer in is private equities department.
Kester will be responsible, together with members of the department’s senior management team, for developing ADIA’s strategy in the private equity space and overseeing the activities of the private equity programme.
Based in Abu Dhabi, Kester will report to Hareb Al Darmaki, executive director of the private equities department.
Kester joins ADIA from Zurich Alternative Asset Management in the US, where he served as head of private equity and a member of the investment committee since 2006. Prior to this, he spend six years as co-chief executive of Allianz Private Equity Partners in Munich.
Al Darmaki says: “James has an excellent reputation and impressive track record of developing and managing private equity portfolios for major financial institutions. His experience across a broad range of specialisations and international markets make him the ideal person for this key role and we are delighted to welcome him on board.”
