Omers has hired Adam Buzanis, the former head of private markets at CAAT Pension Plan, to lead its private equity funds business [1, 2].
The move signals a strategic shift for the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System as it seeks to integrate external fund investing more deeply into its broader buyout operations [1, 2]. By bringing in experienced leadership from a competing pension plan, Omers intends to accelerate the development of its external investment strategy [2].
Buzanis will serve as the head of funds, where he is tasked with developing the external strategy for the organization [2]. This role is designed to refine how the pension fund allocates capital to third-party managers, and how those investments complement internal efforts [1, 2].
Omers hired the longtime executive to help build its private equity funds strategy as it makes such investing a more central part of its buyout business, reports said [2]. The transition comes after Buzanis spent approximately seven years at CAAT [1].
The appointment reflects a broader trend among large Canadian pension funds to balance direct ownership with external fund exposure. By strengthening its funds business, Omers can diversify its risk and access specialized markets that may be difficult to enter through direct buyouts alone [1, 2].
Buzanis is expected to leverage his tenure at CAAT to implement a more robust framework for selecting and managing external private equity partners [1, 2]. This structural change aims to optimize the fund's overall portfolio performance through a more diversified approach to private equity [2].
“Adam Buzanis will join Omers as head of funds.”
This hire indicates that Omers is pivoting toward a hybrid investment model, combining its traditional direct-investing strength with a more aggressive external fund strategy. By recruiting a specialist from CAAT, Omers is attempting to institutionalize its external private equity process to better compete with other global sovereign wealth and pension funds.
