Christopher Burnham, President
Mr. Burnham is President of the Institute for Pension Fund Integrity (IPFI). After a distinguished career in government, diplomacy, banking, and private equity, Mr. Burnham founded Cambridge Global Capital, a venture capital company focusing on life sciences, artificial intelligence, and data.
Mr. Burnham is a globally recognized expert on the management of complex multi-billion dollar global organizations, and on corporate governance, having served as the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of State, and chief operating officer of the United Nations. He has also served on previous Presidential transition teams, most recently for the Trump Administration’s State Department.
From 2006 to December 2012 Mr. Burnham was the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Deutsche Asset Management, and a member of the Global Operating Committee. In 2008, Mr. Burnham co-founded Deutsche Bank’s direct private equity group, RREEF Capital Partners, the bank’s reentry into private equity after an eight-year absence.
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Burnham served as Under Secretary General of the United Nations for Management, the “Chief Operating Officer” of the United Nations. Appointed by Kofi Annan in June 2005, Mr. Burnham was the highest-ranking American in the United Nations Secretariat. Mr. Burnham joined the United Nations after serving as acting Under Secretary of State for Management for Secretary Condoleezza Rice, and as Assistant Secretary of State for Resource Management and Chief Financial Officer of the State Department for General Colin Powell. Mr. Burnham was the youngest Under Secretary General at the United Nations during his tenure. At the time of his confirmation by the United States Senate, Mr. Burnham was the youngest Assistant Secretary in the State Department.
In 1994, Mr. Burnham was elected Treasurer of the State of Connecticut, at which time he was the youngest state treasurer in the nation. As Treasurer, Mr. Burnham was the sole fiduciary of the $15 billion retirement fund for state employees and teachers, and turned the pension fund around from the worst state pension fund in the nation to being in the top 10. He has always maintained the position that politics should not play a role in the management of retirement funds. Prior to being elected State Treasurer, Mr. Burnham was elected to three terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives, where he served as Assistant Minority Leader.
Mr. Burnham has also served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Columbus Circle Investors, at the time PIMCO’s largest equity management subsidiary, and as Vice Chairman of PIMCO mutual fund distribution group.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Burnham was an energy investment banker with CS First Boston, and with Advest. A twenty-four year veteran of the United States Marine Corps (Reserve) and Lieutenant Colonel, in 1990 Mr. Burnham volunteered for active duty in the First Gulf War, and served as an infantry platoon commander and was part of the lead Allied forces to liberate Kuwait City.
Mr. Burnham was graduated from the Kent School, Washington and Lee University, and Harvard University, where he earned a M.P.A.
Advisory Board
