GLOBAL, March 19, 2025 – Towers Watson, a WTW business (NASDAQ), today announces the appointment of Craig Baker as Chief Investment Strategist in its Investments business. Having completed 10 years as Global Chief Investment Officer (CIO), Baker will continue to serve on the Investments Global Leadership Team and will now take on more external, market facing responsibilities.
In his new role, Baker will be responsible for strategic relationships, developing key investment opportunities around the world. He will continue to lead the portfolio management team for Alliance Witan – the FTSE 100 investment trust that Towers Watson has been managing since April 2017 – and look for opportunities to expand Towers Watson’s reach into similar opportunities through time.
Jon Pliner has been appointed to succeed Baker as Global CIO and will join the Investments Global Leadership Team. Currently Deputy CIO, Pliner has also been Head of Delegated Portfolio Management in the US market since 2017. He is Co-Chair of the company’s Private Markets Investment Committee and Real Assets Investment Committee. In this capacity, Pliner led the creation of custom portfolio solutions for the company’s outsourced clients in the US.
Diya Luke, Global Head of Investments, Towers Watson, said: “I want to congratulate Craig and Jon on their new roles. Following 10 highly successful years as our CIO, and 30 years with our Investments business, Craig’s new role is strategically important in helping to further grow our business.
“I am also delighted to welcome Jon onto our Global Leadership Team and excited for him to start work with a range of new clients. Jon brings a breadth of experience that will greatly benefit our clients and our partners.”
Baker and Pliner are based in London and New York, respectively, and will take up their new roles on 1st April 2025.
WTW’s Investments business is focused on creating financial value for end investors through its expertise in risk assessment, strategic asset allocation, fiduciary management and investment manager selection. It has over 900 colleagues worldwide, more than 1,000 investment clients globally, assets under advisory of over US$3.4 trillion and US$167 billion of assets under management.
At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce and maximize performance. Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you.
