OTPP Appoints Chris Metrakos as Head of Infrastructure and Natural Resources
Toronto, Canada -- Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers') today announces the appointment of Christopher Metrakos to the position of Executive Managing Director, Infrastructure & Natural Resources (INR), effective immediately. In this role, based in the Toronto office, Mr. Metrakos will be responsible for guiding INR’s strategy, portfolio, and asset management activities globally.
Mr. Metrakos joined Ontario Teachers' in 2014 and most recently served as Senior Managing Director, Natural Resources, where he oversaw a global, diversified portfolio that spans agriculture, aquaculture, energy, metals, timberland, and natural climate solutions. Prior to joining Ontario Teachers’, he worked in the energy sector as well as in investment banking.
In his new role, Mr. Metrakos will become a permanent member of the Investments Senior Leadership Team and report to Gillian Brown, Chief Investment Officer, Public & Private Investments.
“Investments in infrastructure and natural resources play a critical role in providing the fund with diversifying returns, inflation protection, and stable cash flows that help pay pensions. Chris’s leadership, demonstrated success in driving strong investment returns, and sound judgement make him the ideal person to step into this pivotal role,” said Ms. Brown.
Mr. Metrakos holds a Bachelor of Arts, with a major in Economics, from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder. He also has an ICD.D certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
About Ontario Teachers’
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board (Ontario Teachers') is a global investor with net assets of $269.6 billion as at June 30, 2025. Ontario Teachers’ is a fully funded defined benefit pension plan, and it invests in a broad array of asset classes to deliver retirement security for 343,000 working members and pensioners. For more information, visit otpp.com and follow us on LinkedIn.
Let me begin by congratulating Chris Metrakos on this important appointment.
Chris will be overseeing one of the most important asset classes at Teachers', taking over the role from Dale Burgess who was recently appointed the Head of Equities (Public and Private).
Chris is succeeding top people like Dale and before him Andrew Claerhout who preceded Dale.
Even though we both graduated from McGill Economics and have Greek roots, I never met Chris but I have tracked more than a few of his deals on my blog, most recently back in April when OTPP sold its remaining free cash flow stake in New Afton Mine (see comment here).
He has a proven track record in natural resources and will now be in charge on Teacher's large infrastructure portfolio as well, one of the best institutional infrastructure portfolios in the world.
These two portfolios, natural resources and infrastructure, are complementary, they're both very long-term asset classes that offer important inflation protection to the plan and solid yields over the long run.
Chris will be reporting to Gillian Brown, the CIO Public & Private Markets who again made the wise decision to promote from within (with Jo Taylor's stamp of approval, of course).
I'm a big believer of promoting from within a pension fund/ plan because if you have internal candidates, they already know the organization's culture and are going to hit the ground running.
Bringing someone from the outside carries huge risks, most of the time it ends badly, seen it at OTPP and other large Canadian pension funds.
Always promote from within as long as you have the requisite talent and experience.
Now, I know Dale and Chris are white males but I don't really give a damn about the DEI police, I want to see the right people at the right positions.
If Olivia Steedman was still part of OTPP's INR group, no doubt she would be the head now but she left to head up Teachers' Venture Growth.
And if Andrew Claerhout was still at OTPP, no doubt in my mind, he would be a huge contender to succeed Jo Taylor as the next CEO.
I call it like I see it, I've had my fill on DEI cheerleading at the Maple 8, most of it is total nonsense.
Don't get me wrong, I'm a sticker for DEI, real DEI, not window dressing nonsense but I also think you need to promote the right people in key spots regardless of their age, gender, religion, colour of their skin and disability (not that anyone disabled ever makes it to senior management positions at these places, more proof of DEI fluff).
Alright, let me just end by once again congratulating Chris Metrakos for this important nomination.
Lastly, before I forget, Teachers' posted a great IPE Real Assets interview on LinkedIn featuring their Global Head of Real Estate Pierre Cherki, alongside their Head of European Real Estate, Jenny Hammarlund, sharing how they are shifting priorities across sectors and regions to capture long-term growth and manage the cycle, while building a portfolio designed to deliver long term returns for their members.
Click here to read that interview.
All can say is both Pierre Cherki and Jenny Hammarlund are doing a great job diversifying Teacher's real estate portfolio internationally and Jenny has caught my attention a few times with the deals she's completed in Europe.
Alright, let me wrap it up there, I don't get paid enough t share my wisdom with all of you!
Below, Stewart Upson, Co-President of Brookfield Infrastructure in charge of APAC, discusses AI infrastructure with CNBC Squawk Box Asia.
Listen carefully to his insights, Brookfield leads the crowd in infrastructure.
Update: After reading my comment, Andrew Claerhout shared this:
I just read your article on Chris Metrakos’s appointment as Head of Infrastructure & Natural Resources at OTPP. Chris is an outstanding choice in my view, and I’m very pleased that OTPP selected internal candidates for both Dale’s and Chris’s appointments.
I did want to offer a small correction to one point: I did not hire either Dale Burgess or Chris Metrakos. Dale has been with OTPP for roughly two decades and, before that, was at Cadillac Fairview, so he’s been part of the broader Teachers’ family for most of his career.
As always, thank you for your kind words.
I thank Andrew for correcting me.
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