U.S. Bancorp Asset Management has named Jim Link as head of its institutional Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) practice, housed within its wholly-owned subsidiary PFM Asset Management, LLC. In this role, Link will be responsible for unifying several legacy offerings to amplify the overall market presence of the group’s institutional OCIO practice. Utilizing the broader capabilities of the unified organization, Link will focus on developing new strategies to solve client-based needs. He will be located in the Philadelphia office.
Link is an experienced leader who brings 34 years of experience at organizations such as Wachovia/First Union National Bank, Manning and Napier Advisors, and T. Rowe Price Associates. Most recently, he was head of the Multi-Assets Strategies group for PFM Asset Management. In that role, Link led client-facing strategies, product and regional business development for client OCIO portfolios, in addition to managing business and board of director relationships and product for the PFM Multi-Manager Series Trust mutual funds. Link’s prior roles at the PFM group of companies also included head of PFM Ventures and chief marketing officer.
“The institutional OCIO segment has grown significantly over the past decade. The increasing complexity of portfolios combined with extreme market volatility has caused many institutions to rethink their approach to managing portfolios and adopt the OCIO model. Our institutional clients are looking for an OCIO partner who is able to offer sophisticated guidance and navigate these challenges in an agile and cost-effective manner that may not be possible with in-house resources,” says Eric Thole, leader of the Institutional Asset Management business and CEO of U.S. Bancorp Asset Management. “Having an experienced professional like Jim heading up the OCIO function is great for our clients. I am thrilled to welcome him to this new role.”
Link says, "U.S. Bancorp Asset Management’s commitment to providing the highest level of client service, combined with the strength of our parent company, U.S. Bank, means we are poised for growth in the expanding and very competitive OCIO market. Our focus on managing and growing the assets that allow our clients to fulfill their respective missions is enormously important and rewarding. I’m excited to work with partners across the bank to drive new opportunities for our institutional clients and prospects."
Link holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University. He is a member of the board of trustees and the board of governors for the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.