The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is appointing entrepreneur and venture capitalist Avid Larizadeh-Duggan to serve as the managing director of its Teachers’ Innovation Platform in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In the new role, Larizadeh-Duggan will lead efforts to focus the platform on late-stage venture and growth equity investments in leading-edge technology companies based in the region.

Read: Ontario Teachers’ appointing Tim Deacon as chief financial officer

In a LinkedIn post, Larizadeh-Duggan expressed her excitement about the TIP. “Found it! A platform I can help grow to back bold and visionary innovators who generate superior returns and measurable positive impact on people and planet. [I’m very] excited to be part of the team!”

An experienced entrepreneur and angel investor, Larizadeh-Duggan is best known for her work as the chief operating officer of the Kobalt Music Group. More recently, she served as a non-executive director of Barclays Bank. In 2016, she was named as a young, global leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2019, she was named as an officer of the Order of the British Empire.