Key Takeaways
- • Charles L. "Chuck" Haigh joined Boston University's investment office as director of investments, bringing 18 years of hedge fund expertise from Cambridge Associates to manage the university's $1.6 billion endowment.
- • Haigh previously served as cohead of hedge fund research at Cambridge Associates, leading a 10-person team that sourced, monitored, and evaluated hedge fund managers across activism, long/short equity, event-driven, and distressed strategies globally.
- • Haigh transitions from single-asset-class specialization to a generalist investment model at BU, expanding his focus across multiple asset classes rather than concentrating exclusively on hedge funds.
- • Chief Investment Officer Clarissa "Lila" Hunnewell, who previously worked with Haigh at Cambridge Associates, cited his immediate impact on the eight-person investment office and portfolio performance.
- • Haigh is one of three investment directors on BU's team, recruited specifically to strengthen hedge fund expertise within the university's endowment management function.
Summary
Boston University has appointed hedge fund specialist Charles L. "Chuck" Haigh as director of investments to strengthen its endowment management capabilities. Haigh joins the university's investment office managing a $1.6 billion endowment, bringing specialized expertise developed over 18 years at Cambridge Associates, a prominent institutional investment advisory firm based in Boston.
At Cambridge Associates, Haigh held the position of cohead of hedge fund research, where he led a 10-person team responsible for sourcing, monitoring, and evaluating hedge fund managers globally. His focus encompassed multiple hedge fund strategies including activism, long/short equity, event-driven, and distressed investing. In this role, he also advised university clients on endowment allocation strategies within the hedge fund space—directly relevant to his new responsibilities at BU.
The appointment reflects a strategic effort by BU's investment leadership to deepen hedge fund expertise within its generalist investment framework. Clarissa C. "Lila" Hunnewell, the university's chief investment officer and Haigh's former colleague at Cambridge Associates, expressed confidence in the hire. "Everyone is excited to have a person of Chuck's caliber joining our close-knit team," Hunnewell stated. "He's jumped right in and has already had an impact on the team and the portfolio."
Haigh's transition from specialized hedge fund research to a generalist investment model represents a deliberate career shift. He cited the appeal of BU's broad-based approach: "The generalist model doesn't exist everywhere, so that's something that really attracted me to BU after focusing on one area for almost 20 years. I'm really delighted to get to know the team and to think more broadly about other asset classes." This positioning suggests BU is seeking to integrate hedge fund expertise more holistically across its asset allocation decisions rather than treating alternatives as a siloed function.
Haigh serves as one of three investment directors on BU's eight-person investment office team, indicating the university maintains a lean but specialized structure for managing significant institutional capital.
At Cambridge Associates, Haigh held the position of cohead of hedge fund research, where he led a 10-person team responsible for sourcing, monitoring, and evaluating hedge fund managers globally. His focus encompassed multiple hedge fund strategies including activism, long/short equity, event-driven, and distressed investing. In this role, he also advised university clients on endowment allocation strategies within the hedge fund space—directly relevant to his new responsibilities at BU.
The appointment reflects a strategic effort by BU's investment leadership to deepen hedge fund expertise within its generalist investment framework. Clarissa C. "Lila" Hunnewell, the university's chief investment officer and Haigh's former colleague at Cambridge Associates, expressed confidence in the hire. "Everyone is excited to have a person of Chuck's caliber joining our close-knit team," Hunnewell stated. "He's jumped right in and has already had an impact on the team and the portfolio."
Haigh's transition from specialized hedge fund research to a generalist investment model represents a deliberate career shift. He cited the appeal of BU's broad-based approach: "The generalist model doesn't exist everywhere, so that's something that really attracted me to BU after focusing on one area for almost 20 years. I'm really delighted to get to know the team and to think more broadly about other asset classes." This positioning suggests BU is seeking to integrate hedge fund expertise more holistically across its asset allocation decisions rather than treating alternatives as a siloed function.
Haigh serves as one of three investment directors on BU's eight-person investment office team, indicating the university maintains a lean but specialized structure for managing significant institutional capital.
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