Investment Professional Intelligence — Daren Smith, CFA | Chief Investment Officer | the National University of Singapore | Singapore | October 2026

The National University of Singapore (NUS) has appointed Mr. Daren Smith, CFA, as the Chief Investment Officer, effective October 1, 2026.

Investment Leadership Profile:

Mr. Smith is the chief investment officer at The National University of Singapore (NUS), he joined NUS on October 1, 2026. Previously, Smith was the chief investment officer, global equities at Abu Dhabi Investment Council (August 2021–April 2026). In this role, he led a 15-person team focused on public equities investment and data science and served as a voting member of the organization’s Investment Committee, evaluating investment opportunities across public and private markets.

Prior to that, he was the president and chief investment officer (September 2016–July 2021) and managing director, manager selection and portfolio construction (November 2008–September 2016) at the University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation. Before that, Smith was partner, director and manage research at Nova Scotia Association of Health Organizations (NSAHO) & Keel Capital (April 2004–October 2008), where he sourced, evaluated, and monitored public equity and hedge fund managers and managed firm-wide investment risk. Prior to that, he was a manager, asset liability management at The Maritime Life Assurance Company (June 2002–April 2004). Earlier in his career, Smith held various actuarial roles at Sun Life (July 1998–April 2002).

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from Western University (1993), a Master of Science in Statistics from the University of British Columbia (1995), and a Master of Arts in Economics from McMaster University (1997).

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), and Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designations, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) and the Society of Actuaries (FSA).

Mr. Smith brings experience spanning institutional investment management, public equities, manager selection, portfolio construction, investment risk, asset-liability management, actuarial analysis, and data science.

His appointment adds senior investment leadership experience across university endowment/institutional investing, asset management, and global public markets to NUS.

About The National University of Singapore (NUS):

The National University of Singapore (NUS) manages a substantial institutional endowment that provides long-term financial support for the University's education, research and other activities. Its dedicated Investment Office (IVO) manages the endowment with a long-term and perpetual investment horizon, with the objective of providing a sustainable income stream for NUS's operating needs while preserving the endowment's value for future generations.

The NUS endowment is diversified across multiple asset classes, including public equities, hedge funds, fixed income, private equity, venture capital and real estate funds. The Investment Office takes a long-term approach to portfolio construction, combining liquid and less-liquid investments while focusing on diversification, risk management, liquidity and sustainable long-term returns. NUS also partners with investment managers globally as part of its portfolio management approach.

The investment portfolio is managed by the NUS Investment Office, with oversight from the Investment Committee of the NUS Board of Trustees and governance by the Board of Trustees. Against this institutional investment backdrop, Daren Smith, CFA, has joined NUS as Chief Investment Officer (CIO). Smith brings extensive institutional investment experience, including his previous role as Chief Investment Officer, Global Equities at Abu Dhabi Investment Council, as well as senior investment leadership experience at University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation.

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