Vikram Bhandari appointed Head & CIO of Schroders Capital Solutions

Schroders Capital has announced that it has appointed Vikram Bhandari to the newly-created role of Head and Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Schroders Capital Solutions, where he will be based in London, reporting to Ingo Heinen, Global Head of Business Development and Product.

Schroders Capital offers clients investment strategies across diversifying asset classes including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and private debt and credit alternatives.

The company has a specialist insurance-linked securities (ILS) investment team that offers one of the largest catastrophe bond funds in the world, as well as other ILS fund strategies focused on allocations to insurance and reinsurance linked assets.

Schroders Capital Solutions team will be tasked with designing, delivering, and managing private markets investment solutions across multiple asset classes and sub-strategies, to a client base including pensions, insurance, family offices, and wealth.

As Head and CIO, Bhandari is expected to help drive business growth, as well as lead Schroders Capital’s private markets solutions strategy and execution.

According to Schroders Capital, Bhandari’s appointment reflects the firm’s client-centric approach and is expected to help further leverage its private markets solutions capabilities on a global scale. 

Bhandari brings a deep wealth of experience as a direct investor across multiple asset classes, with a solid track-record in managing multi-private markets portfolios.

He joins Schroders Capital from global asset manager, BlackRock, where he previously served as Senior Portfolio Manager.

Throughout his seven-year tenure at the firm, Bhandari expanded BlackRock’s Multi-Alternatives Private Markets Solutions business in EMEA, working with multiple client segments including defined benefit and defined contribution (DC) pensions, insurance, wealth, sovereigns, family offices and other institutions.

Addressing his appointment, Bhandari said: “I am delighted to join Schroders Capital at such a pivotal time. The private markets landscape has evolved significantly over the last few years, and we are now seeing a much broader set of clients wanting to access the diversification and returns that private markets can offer.

“Changing regulation has enabled the launch of new structures, and firms are now able to offer a spectrum of liquidity and asset classes depending on the investor’s needs.

“Schroders Capital has an impressive track-record in delivering these innovative private markets solutions to institutional, DC and now wealth clients, which is testament to its focus on putting the client first. I look forward to building on this momentum, expanding our global presence and client outreach, and helping to drive the next phase of growth.”

Ingo Heinen, Global Head of Business Development & Product, Schroders Capital, commented: “We help our clients build customised exposures across the private markets spectrum. This capability epitomises our client centricity and is a key part of our differentiated pan-private markets solutions offering.

“Vikram’s leadership will allow us to further leverage the capabilities at Schroders Capital Solutions and deliver even more to our growing global client base.”