Katy Sherrerd, Ph.D.

Katy Sherrerd, PhD CFA, Partner, Vice Chair, Research Affiliates

Katrina F. Sherrerd is the chief executive officer of Research Affiliates, a global asset manager dedicated to profoundly impacting the investment community through its insights and products. The firm creates investment strategies and tools based upon award-winning research and delivers these solutions in partnership with some of the world’s premier financial institutions. Katy is also a member of the Research Affiliates board of directors.


As CEO, Katy oversees the operations and resources of the firm, including the establishment of strategy and policy, which allow the firm to deliver on its core mission of conducting cutting-edge research and advancing innovative product development for the benefit of investors. She is dedicated to guiding the firm by fostering a culture of curiosity and respect, encouraging the multiplicity of insights and approaches her global team brings to the table; in her experience this process is the most effective means for achieving sustainable investment outcomes.


Katy joined Research Affiliates in 2006 as a managing director responsible for strategic planning and affiliate relations, and served as president and chief operating officer before becoming CEO. Throughout her professional career, she has worked to further inventive and groundbreaking investment research and to encourage the continuing education of investment professionals around the world. Prior to joining Research Affiliates, Katy spent 19 years in various roles at CFA Institute, the largest global association of investment professionals. As part of the leadership team, she led the research and education effort, including oversight of the Financial Analysts Journal, and spearheaded strategic planning. She was also the executive director and member of the board of trustees of the CFA Institute Research Foundation. In 2020, Katy was named by Barron's as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in US Finance.


Katy currently serves on the boards of Rayliant Global Advisors and the Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance. Prior to joining Research Affiliates, she was vice chair of the Investment Advisory Committee for the Virginia Retirement System. She was also a visiting professor at the Darden School at the University of Virginia and a lecturer at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.


Katy received her BS in finance from the University of Virginia’s McIntire School, an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a PhD in finance from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. She holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and is a member of CFA Institute and CFA Society Orange County.