David Wong from CIBC Global Asset Management on how a $400B asset manager approaches private markets
David Wong is Group Chief Investment Officer of CIBC Global Asset Management, where he leads the investment team across Canada and the US for over $398B in assets. As head of Total Investment Solutions, he also oversees more than $100B in managed solutions.
He has more than 27 years of experience, beginning as a research analyst at Russell Investments.
Katie and David talk about where private markets fit inside a bank-owned platform, why Canadian investors remain underexposed to alternatives, the regulatory ceiling that shapes how much can go to privates, and what it takes to earn a re-up at scale.
He also explains the free coffee test — and why performance is only part of what a manager sells.
About Our Guest
David Wong is Group Chief Investment Officer of CIBC Global Asset Management, where he oversees the investment team across Canada and the US and sits on the firm's executive leadership team. In that role he leads the management of over $398B in assets spanning managed solutions, fixed income, equities, and alternative investments. As head of the Total Investment Solutions team, he directly oversees the portfolio management of more than $100B in managed solutions, and he is a member of the CIBC Family Office Leadership Team, providing institutional asset allocation advice to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families.
David joined CIBC Global Asset Management in July 2011, serving as Managing Director, Investment Management Research and later as Chief Investment Officer, Managing Director and Head of Total Investment Solutions before taking on the group CIO role. He has more than 27 years of industry experience in New York and Toronto; before CIBC, he was a Senior Research Analyst at Russell Investments, covering a broad spectrum of fixed income strategies for institutional and retail clients. David holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, is a CFA Charterholder, and holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) designation from the Global Association of Risk Professionals. He serves on the boards of the CIBC Foundation and the Oakville Community Foundation, chairing and co-chairing their respective investment committees.
About The Re-Up:
The Re-Up is a podcast about the business of raising and allocating capital in private markets — and how that work can be done better. In private markets, a re-up is the decision to recommit to a manager's next fund: the ultimate signal of trust. Each episode is a candid conversation with the LPs, GPs, and advisors who have built exceptional track records — the conversations that usually happen over dinner after the conference, not the ones on stage. Hosted by Katie Fasken, founder of August Advisors, a Toronto-based placement firm connecting exceptional private investment managers with institutional capital.