Jagdeep Singh Bachher

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = 250px

| caption =

| name = Jagdeep Singh Bachher

| office = 12th Chancellor of the University of Waterloo

| predecessor = Dominic Barton

| termstart = July 1, 2024

| 1blankname1 = President/Vice Chancellor

| 1namedata1 = Vivek Goel (2021-present)

| office2 = Chief Investment Officer of the University of California

| term_start2 = April 1, 2014

| term_end2 =

| primeminister2 =

| predecessor2 =

| successor2 =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| occupation = Manager

| nationality =

| residence =

| education = University of Waterloo (BASc, MASc, PhD)

| citizenship = Canadian{{Cite web |date=2014-01-23 |title=Regents appoint chief investment officer |url=https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/regents-appoint-chief-investment-officer |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=University of California |language=en}}

| module = {{Infobox scientist | child=yes

| field = Management, finance

| thesis_title = Venture capitalists' investment criteria in technology-based new ventures

| thesis_url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/304676064/

| thesis_year = 2000

| doctoral_advisor = Paul D. Guild

| academic_advisors =

| doctoral_students =

| notable_students =

}}

Jagdeep Singh Bachher is a Canadian manager. He currently serves as the 12th chancellor of the University of Waterloo in Canada since 2024 and as chief investment officer of the University of California since 2014. He previously served as deputy chief investment officer and chief operating officer at Alberta Investment Management Corporation from 2009 to 2014.

Life

Bachher was born in Nigeria in West Africa to parents of Sikh heritage. His parents were both educators and taught, in India, Africa, and Waterloo, for more than 60 years. At the age of 15, Bachher and his family moved to Canada, where he enrolled at the University of Waterloo.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-24 |title=Waterloo names triple alum Dr. Jagdeep Singh Bachher as chancellor |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/news/waterloo-names-dr-jagdeep-singh-bachher-chancellor |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Waterloo News |language=en}}

From the University of Waterloo, Bachher received a Bachelor of Applied Science in mechanical engineering in 1993, a Master of Applied Science in management sciences in 1994, and a Doctor of Philosophy in management sciences in 2000. He credited the university's co-op program with playing an important role in his life.{{Cite web |title=Q&A: UC regents' chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher, 'champion for change' |url=https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/q-a:-uc-regents-chief-investment-officer-jagdeep-singh-bachher-champion-for-change |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=UCLA |language=en-us}}

Bachher is now a Canadian citizen.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-23 |title=Regents appoint chief investment officer |url=https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/regents-appoint-chief-investment-officer |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=University of California |language=en}}

Career

= Alberta Investment Management Corporation =

Bachher joined Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) in 2009. He initially served as Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing various portfolios and operations of AIMCo’s $118 billion in assets, including public sector pension plans, provincial endowments, and government funds.{{Cite web |title=Jagdeep Bachher |url= https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/jagdeep-singh-bachher#:~:text=Biography%3A,of%20the%20University%20of%20California. |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=uwaterloo |language=en}} His work as COO included leading AIMCo through periods of organizational change, which involved managing critical systems upgrades. Despite some challenges in management style during this period, his leadership in AIMCo's venture and innovation fund earned him recognition as a forward-thinking investor.{{Cite web |title=AIMCo's Jagdeep Bachher Appointed CIO of the University of California {{!}} Chief Investment Officer |url=https://www.ai-cio.com/news/aimco39s-jagdeep-bachher-appointed-cio-of-the-university-of-california/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=www.ai-cio.com|date=23 January 2014 }}

= University of California =

In January 2014, Bachher left AIMCo to serve as Chief Investment Officer and Vice President of Investments for the University of California. This office is responsible for managing the University of California’s investment portfolio, which grew to over $80 billion at the time of his appointment and has since increased to $169 billion.{{Cite web |title=UC Investments {{!}} UCOP |url=https://www.ucop.edu/investment-office/index.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=www.ucop.edu}}{{Cite web |title=UC Investments Creates Strategic Venture with Blackstone to Invest $4 Billion in BREIT Common Shares |url=https://www.blackstone.com/news/press/uc-investments-creates-strategic-venture-with-blackstone-to-invest-4-billion-in-breit-common-shares/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Blackstone |language=en-US}} He manages the pension, endowment, retirement savings, and working capital investment pools of the UC system, reporting directly to the Board of Regents on investment matters.{{Cite web |title=Jagdeep Bachher |url=https://www.intentionalendowments.org/jagdeep_bachher |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Intentional Endowments Network |language=en}} During his tenure, he implemented strategic changes, including enhancing transparency and responding to stakeholder concerns, particularly around socially responsible investing.{{Cite web |title=Division Leadership {{!}} UCOP |url=https://ucop.edu/investment-office/department-leadership.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=ucop.edu}}

= University of Waterloo =

In 2024, Bachher was appointed as the 12th Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, succeeding Dominic Barton.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-05 |title=Canada Calling: Trudeau govt to welcome 500,000 new immigrants every year despite growing opposition |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/canada-calling-trudeau-immigration-waterloo-university-9013856/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}} As a triple alumnus of the University, Bachher credits Waterloo’s co-op program for significantly shaping his academic and professional career.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title=Jagdeep Singh Bachher: A Leader in Finance and Academia, and the Next Chancellor of the University of Waterloo - Weekly Voice |url=https://weeklyvoice.com/jagdeep-singh-bachher-a-leader-in-finance-and-academia-and-the-next-chancellor-of-the-university-of-waterloo/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=weeklyvoice.com |language=en-US}} He has served on the University’s Board of Governors since 2018 and as Vice-Chair since 2020.{{Cite web |title=MSE Alum named Chancellor of University of Waterloo {{!}} Management Science and Engineering |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/management-science-engineering/news/mse-alum-named-chancellor-university-waterloo |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=uwaterloo.ca |language=en}} In his role as Chancellor, he acts as an ambassador for the University and presides over convocation ceremonies, conferring degrees and diplomas to graduates.{{Cite web |title=Triple alum named as Waterloo chancellor {{!}} Engineering |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/engineering/news/triple-alum-named-waterloo-chancellor |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=uwaterloo.ca |language=en}}

= Other Roles =

Bachher also served{{When|date=October 2024}} as Chairman Emeritus of the Institutional Investors Roundtable, a global financial think tank. He was{{When|date=October 2024}} a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Global Projects Center, where he contributed to discussions on innovation in institutional investing.{{Cite web |title=Jagdeep Singh Bachher {{!}} Secretariat |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/jagdeep-singh-bachher |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=uwaterloo.ca |language=en}}