The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (Teachers’) has announced the promotions of seven executives in the Investment division.

The appointments include: Stephen Dowd, senior vp, infrastructure; Ron Mock, senior vp, alternative investments; Jason Chang, vp, fixed income capital management; Kevin Kerr, vp, onfrastructure; and Andrew Claerhout, Shael Dolman and Glen Silvestri to vp, Teachers’ Private Capital.

“These appointments reflect Teachers’ tradition of cultivating its talent internally and promoting from within,” says Neil Petroff, group senior vp, investments. “The breadth of experience they each bring to their roles will enable us to continue to build on Teachers’ innovative approach to investment management.”

He adds that Teachers’ produced $2.3 billion in value added above the fund’s benchmark in 2007 and more than $5 billion over the benchmark in the last two years.

Dowd oversees Teachers’ global infrastructure and timber portfolio, which includes utilities, power generation facilities, airports, toll roads, marine container terminals and timberlands. He joined Teachers’ in January 2006 with almost 20 years’ international experience in banking and the energy and utilities sectors in Europe, North America and Latin America.

Mock is responsible for Teachers’ global hedge fund portfolio. He joined Teachers’ in 2001 as director, alternative investments and was most recently vp, alternative investments. He has 22 years of international experience in investments and finance.

Chang’s responsibilities include the fund’s fixed income nominal bond index, money market, real return debt and global liquid yield curve arbitrage portfolios. Since joining Teachers’ in 1995, he has held progressively more senior positions, most recently as director, fixed income.

Kerr is responsible for infrastructure and timberland transactions internationally. He joined Teachers’ in 1998 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in inflation-sensitive portfolios. He began his career at Deloitte and Touche LLP.

Claerhout is responsible for the pension fund’s private equity investments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is also head of Teachers’ Private Capital’s London office. He joined Teachers’ in 2005 from EdgeStone Capital Partners.

Dolman oversees Teachers’ private equity investments in the business services and diversified industrial sectors. He joined Teachers’ in 1997 with a background in corporate banking.

Silvestri leads the fund’s private equity transaction activities in the telecom, media and technology sectors. He joined Teachers’ in 2001 with a background in mergers and acquisitions and finance.

With $108.5 billion in net assets as of December 31, 2007, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is the largest single-profession pension plan in Canada.