Chris J. Battaglia

Publisher Chris Battaglia is stepping down, but he notes that new initiatives and a history of innovation positions the brand for success.

News media, thankfully, is considered an essential business in these challenging times. I would like to sincerely thank you for your loyalty and patronage that supports the team at Pensions & Investments allowing us to provide you with daily news, data and information on your business. Although we are “essential”, we are certainly not exempt from all the real pressures that everyone around the world is experiencing. Still, we are committed to helping you as a trusted service that separates the signal from the noise as the investment landscape for pension funds and retirement plans changes almost daily.

The first day of Spring was March 19. If you’re like me, you are working remotely while looking out for your families, friends and, colleagues, and trying to cope with the never-ending flood of news on COVID-19. So you probably didn’t realize that a new season had begun. Considering COVID-19’s global impact, I sincerely hope that each of you in the P&I Community and your families remain healthy and finds a way to get through this challenging time.

In case you missed it, the climate change investing movement is (finally) coming to a theatre near you in the U.S. In the audience, you will find an engaged group of global asset owners, asset managers, consultants and other important investors who are joining the movement. No, I am not announcing a new publication on climate change investing, but I’m pleased to let you know that, while Pensions & Investments has been following this important trend for years, we are redoubling our efforts to ensure P&I’s coverage helps you understand what you need to know and what’s important to your business.

If you have ever visited the Amalfi Coast (where my family is luckily located!) you might have seen deep red bunches of small grape tomatoes hanging in the markets of Positano, Amalfi, Ravello and in the market areas of Naples. Those are the Pomodorino Piennolo del Vesuvio. I also grow San Marzano and Sorrento tomatoes, which are germinated from seeds that I have purchased while vacationing with our family in Italy. I enjoy the satisfaction that comes with planting seeds and seeing something grow. There’s an investment analogy here too, and our team is culturally aligned with helping our clients’ grow their business as well. It’s safe to say that growth is an important goal for us at P&I.

What a day! The markets were melting down and I was checking email on my iPhone on the corner of Third avenue and 44th street on the way back to the Pensions & Investments' headquarters in New York when my phone suddenly went dead. The sun was too strong, and it just seized up! “Baby, it’s hot outside” is all I could think about.

My first recollection of the words “retirement” and “pension” was sometime in the mid-1970s. My grandfather, John Battaglia, an Italian immigrant who was born in 1912 and moved to New York City in 1928, was about to retire from the American Can Co. after more than 40 years of service.