RiskMetrics president Knut Kjaer exits after MSCI Barra buy-out

Knut Kjaer, president of RiskMetrics, the New York-based risk and ESG research company, has left the job after just over a year in the post following the recent $1.55bn (€1.28bn) takeover of the company by MSCI Barra, the index and risk company. Kjaer joined RiskMetrics as president in April 2009. It is not known whether he has yet taken a full time position elsewhere. Last month, Responsible-Investor.com reported that Kjaer, a former chief executive of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which runs the assets of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, had been appointed to the body which oversees Ireland’s €22.3bn National Pensions Reserve Fund (NPRF). 
Irish FinanceMinister, Brian Lenihan, announced Kjaer’s appointment to the National Pensions Reserve Fund Commission for a term of five years. Kjaer joined RiskMetrics in April 2009. At the firm he oversaw the integration of Innovest, the SRI research house, which RiskMetrics had bought for $16m in February of 2009, before instigating the $10m buy-out of Boston-based KLD Research & Analytics in November, 2009. Kjaer, an experienced investment specialist sits on both the investment committee at APG, the fund manager of the ABP pension fund, and on China Investment Corporation’s (CIC) – international advisory board.
A spokesman for RiskMetrics/MSCI Barra declined to comment.