Our Authors

(pictured: Susanne Willumsen)  As demand for smart beta strategies grows, so does the range of offerings from managers looking to assist further in the evolution of quantitative investing. For some, such as Lazard Asset Management, this involves blending factors and staying one step ahead of the herd. Susanne Willumsen, Lazard Asset Management director, portfolio manager…

(pictured: Adrian Orr) By David Chaplin Despite his engaging introductory monologue, Adrian Orr, NZ Superannuation Fund chief executive, faced tough competition for the attention of the 250-plus International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Fund (IFSWF) delegates assembled at the Auckland Viaduct Centre last week. As Orr rolled energetically through a diversified portfolio of one-liners, NZ history lessons,…

(pictured: Cathy Nance) The Productivity Commission’s current review of super has the potential to turn the industry on its head. It’s the second part of the review, the report being delivered next year, and not the first part due this month, which will have all the impact. Cathy Nance, influential actuary, trustee and head of PwC…

(pictured: Oliver Hesketh)  With the Productivity Commission review looking at the efficiency of the super system, including the consideration of scale, and with regulator APRA continuing to focus on size as a potential deliverer of greater efficiencies, wouldn’t you think it would be good to look at the actual evidence? Oliver Hesketh, a partner at…

(pictured: Mark Delaney)  While the investment insourcing trend by big super funds is having a fundamental, and only relatively recent, impact on the structure of the institutional investment industry, Australia remains behind the times, according to Mark Delaney. The CIO of Australian Super, the $100 billion bellwether fund, told the ASFA conference that when his…

(pictured: John Comito) The Australian National University’s endowment fund, which famously sparked a national debate in 2014 with its decision to wind down investments in fossil fuel stocks, has appointed its first custodian after a tender process. NAB Asset Servicing (NAS) was awarded the job which will provide master custody services to the $1.3 billion fund,…

The KiwiSaver cluster-bomb incident should serve as a warning to other jurisdictions, according to global ESG research firm, Sustainalytics. Vanguard and other index providers in New Zealand are already being affected. In a paper published last week, Sustainalytics says the KiwiSaver cluster-bomb debate – that saw a range of providers ultimately change some underlying index…

(pictured: Andrew Mckinnon) Grant Samuel Funds Management will look to broaden the range of its funds for distribution in Australia, as well as offering its locally owned boutiques a new international distribution arm, following the deal with Canada’s CI Financial Corp. The investment bank Grant Samuel Group announced last week that it would sell its…

(pictured: Patrick Farrell)  Pat Farrell, the new CIO at Suncorp, in charge of about $20 billion in multi-manager funds, has put the fixed income and cash mandates currently managed by Nikko Asset Management up for review. Farrell joined Suncorp in late July, following the retirement of Nick Basile. He had previously been the CIO of…

(pictured: Richard Cahill) Richard Cahill, an equities specialist at Mercer Investment Consulting, has left the firm and joined Colonial First State Global Asset Management. The loss of experienced asset consultants to both fund managers and super funds is a worrying industry trend. Cahill has already joined the big fund manager as investment director within the ‘investment specialist’…