Aquila hires German pension chief amid infra FoF push

The appointment comes as the German asset manager fundraises for a vehicle that will invest in infrastructure through fund and direct secondaries.

Aquila Capital, a German asset manager, has appointed the chief executive of Germany’s largest public pension fund to its advisory board.

Daniel Just is the former head of Bayerische Versorgungskammer’s asset management division and has been at the helm of the pension fund since 2013. The institution manages total assets worth €66 billion.

The appointment comes as Aquila seeks €500 million for an open-ended fund of funds vehicle that will make primary commitments, fund and direct secondaries, and directs and co-investment, as sister publication Infrastructure Investor reported in March.

The move also marks the latest addition to Aquila’s advisory board after Olaf Huth, the former chief executive of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, joined in July.

“Since founding Aquila Capital 15 years ago, [Dieter] Rentsch and [Roman] Rosslenbroich have developed the company into a leading independent alternative asset manager,” Just said in a statement. “I look forward to advising Aquila Capital on the development of investment solutions suitable for institutional investors.”

Based in Hamburg, Aquila manages about €7.1 billion in assets. The firm was hoping to raise at least €100 million for its fund of funds vehicle, which is targeting a yearly cash yield of between 4 percent and 5 percent and a net return of over 7 percent.