Simon Mok appointed Director of Private Real Estate at Texas ERS.

The Employees Retirement System of Texas has elevated Simon Mok to the role of director of private real estate, a move that preserves continuity inside the pension fund’s real assets leadership. Mok succeeds Amy Cureton, who was promoted in September to managing director of real assets, underscoring an internal succession path at the trust.

Mok joined Employees Retirement System of Texas in 2019 and has served as a portfolio manager on its private real estate team for nearly seven years. In his new post he will lead the group that deploys capital globally and is responsible for strategies that represent roughly 10% of the ERS Trust’s assets, according to the fund.

ERS chief investment officer David Veal welcomed the appointment, highlighting Mok’s operational experience and familiarity with the portfolio. Veal said the fund is committed to promoting experienced staff and expects Mok to push forward the team’s investment agenda and contribute to broader Trust objectives.

Before joining ERS, Simon Mok worked on real estate teams at Franklin Templeton and at AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., where he was involved in product development and portfolio management for global real estate funds. That background gives him familiarity with both closed‑end fund structures and open‑ended vehicles, a useful mix as pensions balance income, diversification and liquidity pressures.

The promotion comes as institutional investors reassess real estate allocations amid higher interest rates and selective pricing dislocations in some markets. Public pension funds in the United States typically target mid‑single to low‑double digit exposure to private real estate; ERS’s circa 10% allocation places it comfortably inside that range and signals a continued commitment to direct and fund investments across geography and risk profiles.

For ERS the appointment is likely to mean steady execution rather than abrupt strategy shifts. Internal promotions tend to favour continuity in sourcing, due diligence and portfolio construction — important when private market investments are long‑dated and require sustained operational oversight. Mok’s remit will include overseeing existing commitments and leading new deployments across core, core‑plus and opportunistic strategies.