Dame Sharon White to join CDPQ as Managing Director and Head of Europe
CDPQ, a leading global investor and one of Canada's largest pension funds, announced today that Dame Sharon White is joining the group as Managing Director and Head of Europe. Her start date will be January 27, 2025.
As part of CDPQ Global, Sharon will work closely with asset class leaders based in the UK, Europe and Montréal to contribute towards the vision and strategy of CDPQ. With her strong leadership skills and significant experience, Sharon will support initiatives that drive value creation in our portfolio companies. She will also promote strong relationships with stakeholders in the UK and Europe and in the local business communities where CDPQ operates – while engaging with partners, government, regulators and industry trade bodies.
“Dame Sharon White is a remarkable business leader across both the private and public sector. Her expertise and collaborative approach will help play an important role in developing CDPQ’s global capabilities and contribute to our growth ambitions both in the UK – our largest investment destination outside of North America – and across Europe.” said Marc-André Blanchard, Executive Vice-President and Head of CDPQ Global and Global Head of Sustainability.
“As one of Canada’s largest pension funds and a global leader in sustainable investing, CDPQ is delivering on its dual mandate of securing returns over the long term to ensure the financial future of over 6 million depositors while also contributing to the economic development of Québec. The opportunity to contribute to this important mission – and continued growth of the group in the UK and globally – is one that I’m really looking forward to.” said Dame Sharon White.
ABOUT DAME SHARON WHITE
Until September 2024, Sharon was Chairman of the John Lewis Partnership – the largest employee- owned business in the UK – for a five-year term. From 2015-2019, she served as Chief Executive of Ofcom, the UK’s media, telecoms and postal regulator. Sharon started her career in the civil service where she initially worked for the Foreign Office – and then in Washington DC as a senior economist at the World Bank – before joining the Treasury and ultimately assuming the role of Second Permanent Secretary helping oversee the UK’s public finances between 2013 and 2015. She is also an experienced Board member in both for-profit (Barratt Developments) and not-for-profit (Sadlers Wells) sectors and from January 2025 will take on the role of Chair at Frontier Economics.
Sharon was awarded a Damehood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours 2020 for her work at Ofcom and was named as the UK’s most influential black person in the 2023 Powerlist, which aims to provide professional role models for young people of African and African Caribbean heritage. She is actively involved in a range of initiatives, including Britain’s growth potential, climate for business, integrity in business, Girls’ education, Technology and AI and the creative industries.
Sharon holds a Master`s from University College London and BA in Economics from Cambridge University.
ABOUT CDPQ
At CDPQ, we invest constructively to generate sustainable returns over the long term. As a global investment group managing funds for public pension and insurance plans, we work alongside our partners to build enterprises that drive performance and progress. We are active in the major financial markets, private equity, infrastructure, real estate and private debt. As at June 30, 2024, CDPQ’s net assets totalled CAD 452 billion. For more information, visit cdpq.com, consult our LinkedIn or Instagram pages, or follow us on X.
CDPQ is a registered trademark owned by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and licensed for use by its subsidiaries.
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