Global Investment Insights

Ben Samild appointed as Chief Investment Officer of the Future Fund

August 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Ben Samild on his promotion to the role of Chief Investment Officer at the Future Fund, Australia’s sovereign wealth fund.

A ten-year veteran of the Future Fund and deputy CIO since 2021, Ben’s appointment will provide continuity and a deep understanding of the investment portfolio for the 90-strong investment team, which invests and manages assets of more than AU$250 billion for the benefit of future generations of Australians.

Ben’s appointment comes after a comprehensive global search in accordance with the Fund’s government processes. Ben will assume the CIO responsibilities from the Future Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Raphael Arndt, who has been acting in the role since June 2022.

We wish Ben all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at Future Fund.

August 2023 - Job opportunities for executives and senior investment professionals across our industry

August 2023

This month’s featured job vacancies and opportunities include roles at Aware Super, NSW TCorp, ART, HESTA, Mercer, QIC, Insignia Financial, CBUS, AustralianSuper, IFM Investors, Nuveen, Platinum Pacific Partners and more.

If you would like us to promote a job vacancy at your organisation for executive and senior investment roles, please contact us.

John Iles joins CFS as Head of Cash Management and Derivatives

August 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates John Iles on joining Colonial First State (CFS) in the role Executive Director – Head of Cash Management and Derivatives.

CFS is one of the largest retail super funds in Australia with AU$145 billion in assets under management and a membership base of approximately 670,000.

We wish John all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at CFS.

Cathy Hales appointed to newly-created role of CEO, Wealth Pacific at Mercer

July 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Cathy Hales on her appointment to the newly-created role of CEO, Wealth Pacific at Mercer.

In this role Cathy will lead Mercer’s wealth portfolio in Australia and New Zealand, which includes the Mercer Super Trust, one of the largest superannuation funds in Australia with approximately AU$63 billion in assets under management (as at 31 March 2023), the firm’s multi-manager and investment solutions business, and Mercer’s superannuation services arm which provides superannuation administration and financial advice to clients.

We wish Cathy all the best in her new role and continued success to the team at Mercer.

Stuart Gray joins NSW TCorp as Senior Portfolio Manager Defensive Assets and Credit

July 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Stuart Gray on joining NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) in the role Senior Portfolio Manager Defensive Assets and Credit.

TCorp is the investment and financial management partner of the New South Wales government and its investment management arm manages AU$107 billion in assets on behalf of clients, as at 30 June 2023.

We wish Stuart all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at TCorp.

Spotlight on Danica Hampton, Senior Portfolio Manager & Head of Sales-APAC, Adrian Lee & Partners

“Foreign currency exposures in the typical Australian portfolio have been increasing over time. This means the decisions investors make about the role currency plays in their portfolio, and how to manage currency risk, are becoming more important in terms of the impact on overall portfolio performance. Passive currency risk management served Australian investors well in the past, but market conditions have changed. Is it time to consider alternative strategies that combine risk management with active strategies to adapt to changing market conditions?”

Danica will be presenting at Global Investment Institute’s upcoming Fixed Income & Alternatives Investment Forum, taking place on Thursday, 7 September 2023 at the Westin Melbourne, Victoria.

To register your interest in attending, click here or for more information email zlatan.kapetanovic@globalii.com.au.

Spotlight on Alexander Philipps, Chief Investment Officer, Longview Partners

“Over the last decade both equity and fixed income investors have benefitted from the combination of low interest rates, low inflation, low unemployment and unprecedented levels of stimulus. This drove an environment where valuation appeared to be of secondary importance, for some investors. Such an approach may not work so well over the next decade, when many of these investment tailwinds may no longer exist, and our view is that a more nuanced approach will be required where valuation plays a critical role”, remarks Alexander Philipps, Chief Investment Officer, Longview Partners.

Alex will be presenting at Global Investment Institute’s upcoming Equities Investment Forum, taking place on Wednesday, 6 September 2023 at the Westin Melbourne, Victoria.

To register your interest in attending, click here or for more information email zlatan.kapetanovic@globalii.com.au.

Peter Carey joins REST in a senior strategy and asset allocation role

July 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Peter Carey on joining REST in the role Portfolio Manager, Strategy and Dynamic Asset Allocation.

Established in 1988, REST is amongst the largest superannuation funds in Australia by membership, with approximately 1.9 million members and AU$66 billion in assets under management.

Peter joins REST from State Street Global Advisors, where he spent more than 5.5 years, most recently in the role Senior Portfolio Manager in the Investment Solutions Group.

Peter directly reports to Paul Docherty, REST’s head of research and portfolio construction. Both, Peter and Paul are part of Andrew Thomas’ team who runs the Fund’s investment strategy and asset allocation.

We wish Peter all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at REST.

Spotlight on Michael Heldmann, Chief Investment Officer Systematic Equity, Allianz Global Investors

Michael is the Chief Investment Officer of the Systematic Equity team at Allianz Global Investors, responsible for the Systematic Equity strategies and oversees approximately AU$64 billion in assets under management.

“In 2022 a long period of low yields came to an end as central banks started to hike interest rates. The low yield environment created headwinds for factor investing and contributed to the so-called ‘factor winter’ from 2018 to 2020 which this investment approach underperformed for an extended period of time.

“With the end of the low interest rate regime the market is pricing factor exposure, such as Value, Momentum, or Quality, much more accurately. Factor investing has started to provide investors with the returns which they are due, because of the risk exposure they represent. As such we believe that we are entering a much more accommodative period for factor investing.”

Michael will be presenting at Global Investment Institute’s upcoming Equities Investment Forum, taking place on Wednesday, 6 September 2023 at the Westin Melbourne, Victoria.

To register your interest in attending, click here or for more information email zlatan.kapetanovic@globalii.com.au.

Christian Langborn promoted to Senior Investment Analyst focusing on listed equity manager research and portfolio analysis

July 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Christian Langborn on his promotion to Senior Investment Analyst at Aware Super.

Christian has been with the Fund since October 2020 and is based in Sydney, New South Wales. In his role as Senior Investment Analyst his focus is on listed equity manager research and portfolio analysis across Australian and global portfolios. We wish him all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at Aware Super.

Rhys Gundry joins VFMC in a senior equities role

July 2023

Global Investment Institute congratulates Rhys Gundry on joining the Victorian Funds Management Corporation as a Senior Portfolio Manager in their equities team (external mandates).

VFMC is a public authority responsible for investing AU$75 billion on behalf of Victorians, managing the long-term investments of Victorian State Government entities, comprising of 31 Victorian public authorities and related organisations.

We wish Rhys all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at VFMC.

Frontier Advisors - Annual Conference Recap

Revisit the conversation - June 2023

Frontier’s team has prepared a comprehensive overview of the their recent Annual Conference including session summaries and associated presentations. This provides detailed insights for anyone who couldn’t make it, and helpful notes for those who were in attendance and would like to revisit the conversations.

On Thursday, 15 June 2023 Frontier held their Annual Conference, which was attended by more than 200 people from across our industry. The day featured 11 individual sessions covering a range of topics that are shaping the world of investing across asset classes, including top-down macroeconomic and geopolitical matters, which are of relevance to any discerning, sophisticated investor.

Session summaries and associated presentations and papers from the Frontier Conference 2023 can be accessed at the Annual Conference website.