Border to Coast Pensions Partnership has appointed Simon Edwards as senior portfolio manager to oversee climate opportunities, private equity, and private credit strategies. The UK's largest local government pension scheme pool is expanding its alternatives team as assets grow toward £110 billion. Edwards brings 26 years of fund management experience from West Yorkshire Pension Fund.

Edwards joins as Border to Coast bolsters its alternatives leadership following recent hires of Anita Bhatia and Amarik Ubhi. The pension pool manages £18 billion in private markets, including £5.2 billion in private credit and £4.0 billion in private equity. Its climate opportunities strategy finances projects like waste energy and EV charging infrastructure.

The expansion aligns with the UK government's push for larger LGPS pools to enhance investment capacity and cost-efficiency. Border to Coast serves 11 client funds with £65 billion in assets, expecting seven more funds to join by March's end. This growth supports the pool's 2030 strategy to provide sufficient capacity for partner funds.