The private equity arm of Hermes said Monday that it has been given a £1 billion mandate from BT Pension Scheme, one of the largest pension funds in the UK, with half of the money to be channelled through co-investments.

Financial News spoke to Peter Gale, head of private equity and chief investment officer of Hermes GPE, and Simon Moss, a partner of Hermes GPE, about the advantages of co-investments, and why there can be pitfalls to investing alongside buyside firms.