Pictured:  Craig Dandurand

The Future Fund has recruited a specialist alternatives portfolio manager from CalPERS, the US$270 billion Californian public sector fund, who will move with his family from Sacramento to Melbourne in the new year for the role.

He is Craig Dandurand, who has been at America’s largest pension fund for 13 years, after a short career as an attorney. He became portfolio manager in the alternatives area at CalPERS in 2007 and has effectively run the fund’s hedge funds strategies since 2011.

In his role at the Future Fund, Dandurand will report to David George, the head of debt and alternatives. He will be working with Ben Samild, the former head of investments at LUCRF, who also resigned recently to join the Future Fund’s debt and alternatives team.

Will Hetherton, the Future Fund’s communications executive, confirmed the appointment over the weekend. He said: “We’re looking forward to Craig joining us and see him as a great addition to the team.”

The appointment was originally reported in the US last Friday. A report in the aiCIO newsletter said Dandurand holds a doctor of law from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Harvey Mudd College.