Alex Schärer new Managing Director of Profond Investment Foundation
Alex Schärer is the new Managing Director of Profond Investment Foundation in Zurich. He took up this position on 1 September 2016. He previously worked for Migros Pension Fund (MPK) as Head of Portfolio Management.
Real estate economist FH Alex Schärer, who studied civil engineering at ETH Zurich and holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science in Real Estate, worked for the real estate consulting firm Wüest & Partner from 2001 to 2010 before joining MPK at its Altstetten (later: Schlieren) location. The market value of MPK Real Estate Switzerland direct investments was around CHF 5.1 billion at the end of 2015.
Profond Investment Foundation owns residential and commercial properties with a market value of around 1.4 billion. The total assets under management of the Profond pension fund amount to over six billion. According to the foundation, its investment strategy pursues the "goal of sustainable returns". With a current target share of 20 percent of total assets, real estate is a "key component of the long-term investment strategy" for the Profond Investment Foundation Pension Fund. As of the end of 2015, the pension fund was also indirectly invested abroad with just under a quarter of a billion in real estate (a good 4 % share of total assets), according to the annual report.
Profond Investment Foundation invests primarily in "promising locations in Switzerland", which primarily include the economic areas of Zurich, Aargau, Basel, St. Gallen and Lucerne, as well as regional centres in the Central Plateau. In French-speaking Switzerland, it focuses on the regions of Lausanne and Geneva. In addition, it is taking advantage of "opportunities in the conurbation regions", it adds. (mr)
