• Assets: $176 billion
• Who it serves: 1 million state and local government employees and retirees

Investments: Thomas DiNapoli, the comptroller who manages the pensions of New York government employees, isn't an activist investor in the traditional sense. But that's not to say he doesn't pull his weight.

Earlier this month, he delved into a standoff between LG Electronics and residents of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, over the South Korean company's planned North American headquarters that will include a 143-foot office tower that critics say will obstruct views in the area. With his pension fund owning over $10 million of LG stock, DiNapoli asked LG's management to consider a redesign of the building, arguing that the "potential for reputational harm and protracted legal expenses" for LG could hurt his fund's investment.

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