Key Takeaways
- • Institutional Investor announced additional nominees for its 2026 Allocators' Choice Awards across four categories: Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year, Allocator Team of the Year, Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year, and Leadership and Vision.
- • Elizabeth Tulach, CIO at The Boeing Company, is nominated for Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year after stabilizing one of the largest U.S. corporate pension plans—approximately $125 billion in DB and DC assets—transforming it from a struggling position with serious debt and cash issues into one of the best-funded plans in the country since taking the role in 2021.
- • AllianceBernstein, Brookfield Asset Management, and Carlyle are nominated for Allocator Team of the Year for developing a joint platform that integrates private markets with corporate retirement plan sponsors through a multi-manager framework, addressing liquidity and complexity concerns while positioning private assets alongside target-date funds.
- • California State Teachers' Retirement System and ABS Global Investments are nominated for Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year following their expanded collaboration on emerging markets equities, with ABS functioning as a specialist extension of CalSTRS' internal investment capabilities rather than a traditional external manager relationship.
Summary
Institutional Investor has revealed additional nominees for its 2026 Allocators' Choice Awards, expanding the competition across four categories beyond the five finalists announced previously. The awards recognize institutional investors and investment professionals driving innovation and leadership within the alternative asset and pension fund management space.
Elizabeth Tulach, CIO of The Boeing Company, is nominated for Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year. Since assuming the role in 2021, Tulach has overseen a significant turnaround of one of the largest corporate pension plans in the United States, managing approximately $125 billion in defined benefit and defined contribution assets. The Boeing pension plan faced substantial structural challenges, including debt obligations, cash flow constraints, and contribution pressures when Tulach began her tenure. Through strategic planning and execution, she and her team generated sufficient liquidity to meet pension payment obligations, repositioning the fund from a struggling financial position into one of the best-funded corporate pension plans. Industry professionals recognize Tulach for her independent thinking and intellectual rigor, building on her recognition as a winner of II's Next CIO competition in 2018.
Three major asset managers—AllianceBernstein, Brookfield Asset Management, and Carlyle—are jointly nominated for Allocator Team of the Year for developing an innovative platform that brings private markets exposure to corporate retirement plan sponsors. The collaborative solution integrates asset allocation, private market investing, and operational infrastructure into a unified offering designed to complement sponsors' qualified default investment alternatives, such as target-date funds. The multi-manager framework adjusts over time to address key investor concerns around liquidity, complexity, and suitability, representing a measured approach to introducing private assets within retirement savings structures amid ongoing debate about private markets' appropriate role in defined contribution plans.
California State Teachers' Retirement System and ABS Global Investments are nominated for Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year. The partnership began with CalSTRS' investment in ABS Global's emerging markets equities strategy and has since expanded into a deep operational integration. ABS now functions as a specialist extension of CalSTRS' internal investment team rather than operating as a conventional external manager, demonstrating a level of organizational integration typically reserved for internal departments.
Elizabeth Tulach, CIO of The Boeing Company, is nominated for Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year. Since assuming the role in 2021, Tulach has overseen a significant turnaround of one of the largest corporate pension plans in the United States, managing approximately $125 billion in defined benefit and defined contribution assets. The Boeing pension plan faced substantial structural challenges, including debt obligations, cash flow constraints, and contribution pressures when Tulach began her tenure. Through strategic planning and execution, she and her team generated sufficient liquidity to meet pension payment obligations, repositioning the fund from a struggling financial position into one of the best-funded corporate pension plans. Industry professionals recognize Tulach for her independent thinking and intellectual rigor, building on her recognition as a winner of II's Next CIO competition in 2018.
Three major asset managers—AllianceBernstein, Brookfield Asset Management, and Carlyle—are jointly nominated for Allocator Team of the Year for developing an innovative platform that brings private markets exposure to corporate retirement plan sponsors. The collaborative solution integrates asset allocation, private market investing, and operational infrastructure into a unified offering designed to complement sponsors' qualified default investment alternatives, such as target-date funds. The multi-manager framework adjusts over time to address key investor concerns around liquidity, complexity, and suitability, representing a measured approach to introducing private assets within retirement savings structures amid ongoing debate about private markets' appropriate role in defined contribution plans.
California State Teachers' Retirement System and ABS Global Investments are nominated for Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year. The partnership began with CalSTRS' investment in ABS Global's emerging markets equities strategy and has since expanded into a deep operational integration. ABS now functions as a specialist extension of CalSTRS' internal investment team rather than operating as a conventional external manager, demonstrating a level of organizational integration typically reserved for internal departments.
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