Yup S. Kim

Yup S. Kim serves as a senior fellow within the International pillar at the Milken Institute and is the former chief investment officer of the Texas Municipal Retirement System, a $49 billion public pension fund, where he also chaired the staff investment committee. Previously, he helped lead private equity investments at CalPERS, California’s $490 billion pension fund, playing a leadership role across the program’s full range of activities, including strategy, team management, and investment execution across primary, secondary, and co-investment opportunities globally. 

Earlier, he served as senior portfolio manager at the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, an $80 billion sovereign wealth fund, where he helped lead private investment activities. During his tenure, the private equity and special opportunities portfolio generated 25 percent net-of-fee returns over a decade. He has also held positions at DB Private Equity, where he served on the investment committee, as well as at Performance Equity Management and Silver Point Capital, and began his career at Citigroup in New York.

Kim received his BA in economics from Yale University, speaks six languages, and chairs the Milken Institute Rising Allocator Forum. He also serves as vice chairman of the Korea Finance Society, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a founding LP council member of Ownership Works, a global investment ambassador for the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School, the Wharton School, Yale University, and other academic institutions. He has been recognized with multiple industry awards, and his insights have been featured by Bloomberg, CNBC, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other prominent global media outlets.