Our Authors

(pictured: Doug Hodge) Doug Hodge, the PIMCO chief executive who is well known to Australian and Asian investors from his time in the region several years ago, will step down from his position but remain a managing director at the big Newport-based global bond firm. Hodge is relinquishing the chief executive role in favour of new…

(pictured: Jane Buchan) Against the backdrop of rising global membership of the Preqin “club” of institutional investors which invest more than US$1 billion in hedge funds, the AIMA annual forum in Sydney will examine whether hedge funds generally are delivering on their promises. The forum’s program was updated last week and includes the second keynote speaker, Jane…

Aon has confirmed it will begin shifting its fund administration to Link Group from next week. According to the latest Aon KiwiSaver accounts, “planning is underway for the administration to be sub-contracted to Link” for the NZ$370 million scheme from August 1. It is understood Aon’s two biggest external KiwiSaver admin clients – the NZ$400 million…

(pictured: Ian Silk) Comment by Greg Bright Quite possibly. AustralianSuper, the bellwether go-to and surprisingly innovative super fund, Australia’s largest and, arguably, best across a range of metrics, proved to all and sundry this week what can be achieved when you try. But maybe this is the time to also worry a little about the future…

(pictured: Russell Clarke) Mercer chief investment officer Russell Clarke has thrown his weight behind the growing criticism of Australia’s fee obsession. Fees are driving investment decisions and that’s not in the best interests of the end investor, he says. Clarke participated last week in a webinar organised by researcher Stewart Oldfield of Field Research. Clarke said…

(pictured: David Scobie) Investors should put more weight on alignment of interests when hiring or firing fund managers, according to a new Mercer report. And they should avoid changing managers wherever possible. While investors necessarily focus on a manager’s investment and operational strength, the study says the “often overlooked” alignment factor provides some important flow-on benefits. For…

(pictured: Patrick Farrell)  Pat Farrell, the former chief investment officer at BT Financial Group, who left that firm in May, will become the new chief investment officer at Suncorp, following the retirement last month of Nick Basile. The appointment is expected to be announced this week. The role, based in Sydney, oversees the mostly outsourced…

(pictured: Eusebio Teofilo-Sanchez) Securities lending, which was dealt a blow during the global financial crisis as a lot of lenders withdrew from the market, is making a comeback. Investors are adapting to the likely continuation of a low-return environment. According to Eusebio Teofilo-Sanchez, Citi’s regional head of securities lending, the increasing sophistication of super funds and…

(pictured: Brett Baker) Evergreen Consultants, the boutique asset consultant for financial planners and family offices launched early this year by Angela Ashton and Brett Baker, has finalised its asset allocation committee. The members are: Angela Ashton, Tom Cottam, Stephen Duchesne, Kingsley Jones and Daniel Liptak. Baker said last week: “We’ve spent a few months talking and…

(pictured: Lochiel Crafter) The need to boost investment performance in a low return and volatile market environment is fuelling interest from investors in new strategies which are reshaping traditional active equities management, according to State Street Global Advisors. And a key trend is downside protection. Lochiel Crafter, SSGA’s Sydney-based head of Asia Pacific, says: “In this…