# International Committee of the Red Cross Pension Scheme

International Committee of the Red Cross Pension Scheme is a Pension Fund based in Geneva, Switzerland.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Pension Fund
- **Headquarters:** Geneva, Switzerland
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** Geneva, Switzerland
- **Founded:** 1863
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.icrc.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/international-committee-of-the-red-cross

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The International Committee of the Red Cross Pension Scheme provides retirement savings exclusively for ICRC employees, with a particular focus on the organization's mobile field staff. The scheme administers an International Pension Plan comprising five sub-plans. René Zagolin served as Director of the ICRC Pension Fund from 2006 to 2016. The portfolio spans multiple asset classes. Swiss direct real estate forms a core allocation, complemented by global infrastructure holdings and insurance-linked securities. The scheme also holds gold. On the responsible-investment side, it participates in Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) initiatives and adheres to responsible investment charters, aligning the portfolio with broader sustainability principles while managing the cross-border practicalities of a Geneva-based plan for mobile staff. Zagolin's tenure shaped the scheme's modern architecture. In May 2024, no new publicly reported operational event was identified; however, the scheme's historical link to the Foundation for the ICRC (FICRC) adds an unusual dimension, creating a formal tie between the pension fund and the organization's philanthropic arm without merging governance. The scheme's structural differentiator is its mandate: it operates a cross-border pension plan for a highly mobile humanitarian workforce, mixing Swiss real assets with liquid alternatives and gold. This configuration demands liquidity to match field-staff payment patterns while maintaining hard-asset ballast.

## Sectors

- Real Estate
- Infrastructure
- Insurance Linked Securities
- Hedge Funds

## People

- René Zagolin — Former Director of the ICRC Pension Fund (2006-2016)

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at the ICRC Pension Scheme?

The scheme's investment operations have historically been overseen by the Director of the ICRC Pension Fund, a role held by René Zagolin from 2006 to 2016. Current leadership and the specific investment committee structure are not publicly disclosed.

### How is the ICRC Pension Scheme structured?

The scheme administers an International Pension Plan containing five sub-plans, designed for the ICRC's approximately 500 mobile employees. It sits alongside the ICRC's core humanitarian operations and benefits from a formal link to the Foundation for the ICRC, keeping pension governance separate from the organization's charitable activities.

### What is the scheme's exposure to real assets?

Real assets feature prominently. The portfolio includes a direct Swiss real estate portfolio and global infrastructure investments. Gold holdings add a further hard-asset layer. This blend reflects a preference for tangible assets within a multi-asset framework.

## Related profiles

- [International Climate Finance](https://altss.com/profile/international-climate-finance)
- [International Community Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/international-community-foundation)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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