The Link Group has expanded into the funds management administration market with the purchase of White Outsourcing. And, probably of more interest to super funds, the big administrator is also about to cut its fees paid by former SuperPartners industry funds as it reaps the benefits of scale. Announcing its half-yearly results last Friday, Link…
by Greg Bright Bernie Fraser may not be what you’d think of as “independent” from the not-for-profit super fund sector. But his report on fund governance delivered last week represents the most reasoned assessment of “independence” so far presented for the industry’s and Government’s consideration. The Fraser report, which came about because of the Government former…
Chant West has introduced a new category of awards in its upcoming 2017 Awards assessment, to be presented at a black-tie dinner at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom on May 24. The new award is ‘Best Fund: Advice Services’. Warren Chant, Chant West director said there was good reason to introduce the new award. “Increasingly, it’s the…
Women in Super and AGSM @UNSW Business School announced their annual scholarship program for 2017 at the Women in Super NSW lunch last week, which featured David Neal, Future Fund chief executive, as guest speaker. The scholarship offers NSW WIS members the opportunity to attend one of AGSM’s Executive Education programs to further their learning…
There is a growing expectation from employees that their workplaces need to be “mentally healthy”, with most likely to leave if it is not, according to a survey for the annual ‘Work in Progress’ report by SuperFriend. The report measures the current state of mental health in Australian workplaces, rating organisations against 38 “desired state…
One of the ways investment firms can avoid herding and therefore promote investment outperformance is through their organisations’ culture and everyday work practices. David Neal, the Future Fund chief executive, provided his insights and the fund’s outlook for markets at a sold-out Women in Super lunch in Sydney last week. The outlook is dangerous but…
Russell Investments in Australia is exiting the actuarial part of the industry, announcing last week that it has sold its Australian and New Zealand actuarial practice to Willis Towers Watson. The deal involves the transfer of 22 actuarial staff. Pete Gunning, Russell’s chief executive for Asia Pacific, said the sale reinforced the firm’s focus on…
The NSW Government’s $75 billion fund T-Corp, which represents an amalgamation of the investment operations of three fiduciary investment pools, is finalising its senior management team after a spill of several positions. The key CIO role is to be filled by an outsider. Stewart Brentnall will take up the role, replacing the acting CIO Mark…
Steve Merlicek, IOOF Holdings’ star fund manager, is retiring from full-time work in funds management, from the end of June. His deputy, Dan Farmer, will take over as CIO. Merlicek, who has taken most of the multi-manager retail funds from bottom to top quartile in his seven-year tenure as CIO of IOOF, foreshadowed his move…
After several years of insourcing big parts of their investment portfolios it is now clear that the process can add value for super funds, according to Damian Moloney, the chief executive of Frontier Advisors. Commenting on the recent news that the US$35 billion Harvard Endowment was to outsource most of its investments, making redundant more…
