Donald Raymond, Former Chief Investment Strategist at Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), Joins Star Mountain Capital as Senior Advisor
Donald Raymond, Former Chief Investment Strategist at Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), Joins Star Mountain Capital as Senior Advisor
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Star Mountain Capital, LLC ("Star Mountain"), a rapidly growing, employee-owned investment firm with approximately $4.5 billion in assets under management (“AUM”), is pleased to announce that Donald Raymond has joined the firm as a Senior Advisor. Dr. Raymond will add value to Star Mountain by supporting investment and portfolio construction efforts, contributing to firmwide thought leadership through his rigorous, research-driven approach and leveraging his senior leadership experience at Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).
“Don’s leadership at some of the world’s largest asset owners, combined with his deep expertise in portfolio construction and institutional governance, brings a differentiated and highly valuable perspective to Star Mountain,” said Brett Hickey, Founder and CEO of Star Mountain Capital. “We are excited to have him as an aligned Senior Advisor.”
“Star Mountain’s specialized focus on the lower middle-market has the potential to have a positive impact on many investment portfolios,” said Dr. Raymond. “The quality of the team, their disciplined approach to investing and their long-term alignment with investors match the principles that have guided my work across global institutional portfolios.”
Dr. Raymond has over 30 years of global investment experience across public and private markets, portfolio construction and institutional governance, having held senior leadership roles at some of the world’s largest asset owners and financial institutions.
Dr. Raymond previously served as Chief Investment Strategist at QIA and CPP Investments, both among the top 15 asset owners globally. At CPP Investments, he was the first Chief Investment Strategist. He helped architect CPP Investments’ innovative Total Portfolio Approach and played a key role in the development of the United Nations’ Principles of Responsible Investing (UNPRI) and CPP Investments’ early adoption in 2005. He also oversaw the growth of the public markets portfolio from $11 billion in passively managed funds to $100 billion in assets actively managed by more than 130 employees across five distinct active investment strategies.
Before CPP Investments, Dr. Raymond worked at Goldman Sachs in Toronto as a top ranked fixed income strategist and later in New York in global equity and fixed income portfolio management. Earlier in his career, he worked for Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) in China and trained as a pilot in the Canadian military.
Dr. Raymond has also served as Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Alignvest Management Corporation, an alternative investment management firm focused on private equity and alternative investments. He has held a range of senior governance roles, including Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Investment Committee of Queen’s University Endowment, and as a Board Director and Chair of the Investment Committee of Great West LifeCo (TSX: GWO), one of Canada’s leading global insurance companies with over $600 bn AUM.
He advises the central banks of Singapore and Thailand and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and as Chair Emeritus of the International Centre for Pension Management.
Dr. Raymond holds a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University and is a CFA charterholder.
About Star Mountain Capital
With ~$4.5 billion in AUM (committed capital including debt facilities as of 1/31/2026), Star Mountain specializes in providing scalable and data-driven investment solutions across two core strategies:
- Direct Investments: Providing debt and equity capital to established lower middle-market businesses.
- Secondary Investments: Acquiring LP interests, direct assets and making primary LP commitments.
Star Mountain’s investors include public and private pensions, insurance companies, commercial banks, endowments, foundations, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Employee-owned and sharing profits with 100% of its U.S. full-time employees, the firm prioritizes alignment of interests to maximize value for stakeholders.
Since 2010, Star Mountain has completed over 100 direct platform investments and 50 secondary/fund investments in the North American lower middle-market. The firm has been recognized as one of the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing private companies and a Best Place to Work by Crain’s New York Business and Pensions & Investments.
For more information, visit www.starmountaincapital.com.
Legal Disclaimer:
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase interests in any investment product. Awards and recognitions by third-party rating agencies, companies or publications should not be interpreted as a guarantee of future results or performance. They should not be considered as an endorsement, recommendation or referral of Star Mountain Capital or its representatives by any client or third party. Rankings published by media and industry organizations are based on information provided by the recognized advisor. Additionally, readers should understand that past performance is not indicative of future results. Award descriptions and selection methodologies may vary.
Awards and Recognition Disclosure:
Star Mountain Capital's awards and recognitions are based on third-party evaluations and criteria, which may be subjective. These honors do not imply a guarantee of future performance or an endorsement by current or past clients.
Ranking Methodologies:
- Crain’s Best Places to Work: Evaluations were conducted through a two-part process, assessing workplace policies, practices and employee satisfaction via surveys. Participation required a fee solely for survey processing purposes. More details are available at Crain’s eligibility criteria.
- Pensions & Investments Best Places to Work: Companies were evaluated based on surveys measuring employee engagement (75%) and employer policies (25%). Participation required a minimum of 20 U.S. employees and $100 million in discretionary assets under management. Further details can be found at P&I eligibility criteria.
- Inc. 5000 Rankings: Companies were ranked based on revenue growth from 2019 to 2022. To qualify, firms had to be U.S.-based, privately held and independent, with revenue thresholds of at least $100,000 in 2019 and $2 million in 2022. More details are available at Inc. 5000 criteria.
Contacts
Media Contact:
John Polis – Media@StarMountainCapital.com

