Deloitte’s Venkat joins Canadian pension fund CDPQ as India chair

Leading global investor and one of Canada’s largest pension funds Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has named former Deloitte chief executive N. Venkatram as country chair for India.

His term begins from 1 April.

Venkat will be a member of CDPQ’s global management team and contribute to the vision and strategy of CDPQ Global, including supporting different asset classes—notably infrastructure and private equity, a press release from CDPQ said.

He will also collaborate closely with the senior leadership team in the region to deepen relationships in the financial and business community, while representing the group with key stakeholders, including governments, regulators and industry associations.

In his 40 years of experience, including 30 years at Deloitte, Venkat assisted companies in strengthening governance and controls, raising capital, mergers and acquisitions, and solving their most complex accounting and business issues.

He also led the audit and assurance practice at Deloitte India, was a pioneer in transitioning clients to globally accepted accounting standards and, bridging his experience in the old economy with the new, and setting up the technology, media and telecom practice.

In his eight-year term as CEO, the organization scaled its presence and service portfolio, growing revenue over four times.

“CDPQ has a long-term conviction towards India’s high potential economy. The addition of Venkat is an indication of our ongoing commitment to developing partnerships that are aligned with driving performance and sustainable impact,” said Charles Emond, president and chief executive officer at CDPQ.

“I was attracted to CDPQ because of its commitment to fiduciary duty, long-term orientation and high standards – and I look forward to providing strategic leadership with strong stewardship and an unwavering focus on responsible investing. What excites me most is CDPQ’s mission to contribute to the economic development and prosperity of geographies that it invests in, while fulfilling its mandate of generating optimal returns for clients. This resonates deeply in the current global business environment,” said Venkat.

“We are delighted to welcome Venkat to CDPQ. His global leadership and experience around complex business organizations and partnerships bring significant additional depth to the pursuit of our ambitions—both in India and globally,” said Marc-André Blanchard, executive vice-president and head of CDPQ Global and global head of sustainability.