Henry Chung

At the age of twenty Henry Chung, investment director Infrastructure, came to the Netherlands for education. After being a financial consultant for a few years, he started working for PGGM in late 2011 to broaden his investment horizons.
 
Why PGGM? 
'After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree at Erasmus University Rotterdam, I continued my Master study in Finance and Investments at the same university. In parallel, I worked as a financial analyst in Amsterdam, focusing on company/asset valuation for financial accounting and tax purposes. In late 2011, there was a vacancy position at PGGM Infrastructure, where a former colleague was working there and was willing to provide me a reference. After about four years of being a financial consultant, I believed that this was a good opportunity for me to join the investment world, and to broaden my horizons and skillset. Back then, the team at PGGM Infrastructure was fairly small; it consisted of about 10 investment professionals. The learning curve was steep. At PGGM Infrastructure, you go through the entire investment process: from sourcing new opportunities, due diligence and investment execution, to  asset and portfolio management, so from start to finish.' 
 
Influence means impact 
'PGGM works for Dutch pensioners. Our team manages infrastructure companies/assets that deliver stable and predictable returns to our clients' participants. We invest for the long term of a decade or more, so active ownership is very important. In order to make real impact, you have to have meaningful governance, which allows you for example to be part of the board of directors, have direct interaction with management, and be able to influence company’s strategy and business plan. When you have proper governance rights, you can be more active in asset management, be in the driver's seat, and exercise your influence.'