The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) has appointed Edward Winter as Chief Investment Officer for its real assets business.

Winter joins from BlackRock as the sovereign wealth fund expands its senior leadership team with global institutional talent, as reported by Bloomberg.

Winter will begin his new role in September and report to Executive Director Saoud Al Mulla.

He takes charge of a portfolio covering global infrastructure and real estate, managing fund investments, co-investments, and separately managed accounts across the energy, digital infrastructure, and hospitality sectors.

Prior to this appointment, Winter led mid-market funds for Global Infrastructure Partners across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He previously spent over 12 years at Macquarie Group.

ADIC operates as an independently run arm of Mubadala Investment Company and manages more than US$160 billion.

The fund is currently broadening its investment strategy to target annual returns of at least 10%.

Recent moves include increasing exposure to hedge funds, launching a secondaries business, and accelerating a push into the insurance sector.

Winter is part of a wider recruitment drive by Abu Dhabi investment firms targeting Wall Street and leading pension funds.

ADIC recently hired former Future Fund Chief Investment Officer Ben Samild as Chief Strategist and appointed former Canada Pension Plan Investment Board executive Alain Carrier as Executive Director of Private Equity.

Simon Fraser, another former Future Fund executive, also joined recently as Head of Derivatives.

The emirate is deepening its in-house investment capabilities to channel oil wealth into assets that generate long-term returns.

This recruitment drive continues despite rising geopolitical tensions and recent strikes exchanged between the US and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The real assets portfolio Winter will oversee currently holds more than 200 investments across developed and emerging markets.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image mrsiraphol via Magnific