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(Pictured: Sally Humphris) Sally Humphris, the former head of institutional sales at La Trobe Financial, has moved back into the recruitment industry, becoming a partner at the Dawson Partnership, a Sydney-based firm specialising in financial services recruitment. Humphris, who started her career in broking before moving across to asset management with Merril Lynch, had previously…

(Pictured: Peter Sipek) Peter Sipek, the former director of investment services and head of operations for AMP Capital, who left the organisation last August, has started a new role as implementation director at State Super. Sipek had been at AMP Capital for eight years, starting as head of investment operations, and his departure last year surprised…

Hedge funds should see good fund flows in 2015, although macro and managed-futures strategies are likely to lag behind multi-strategy funds as preferred options for institutional investors, according to a report by eVestment. The report, (view here) says that, barring an unexpected global or financial event, global flows into hedge funds will be between US$90-110…

(Pictured: Cliff Asness) Ten years ago Affiliated Managers Group, now the world’s largest multi-affiliate manager, entered the hedge fund industry through the purchase of a minority interest in AQR Capital Management and put that firm’s star managers on a 10-year employment contract. Last week AMG bought some more of AQR and re-signed its stars. Befitting the…

(Pictured: David Sokulsky) For much of this year UBS Wealth Management has been advising Australian clients – accounting for more than $20 billion with the firm – to reduce their Australian equities exposures and shift money into the US market. UBS is continuing to do so following its outlook for next year. David Sokulsky, the CIO…

(Pictured: Robyn Petrou) by Patrick Liddy Sun Tzu, made famous by his book ‘The Art of War’, was asked by the King of Wu to perform an experiment on the movement of troops. Specifically, the question was:  ‘Can you conduct this test using women?’ Sun Tzu said, ‘yes.’ The King sent from the palace 180 beautiful…

(Pictured: Nicholas Allen) The Australian country head of multi-affiliate manager Eaton Vance, Nicholas Allen, will return to his advisory and third-party marketing company, Allen Partners, next month, to be replaced by Duncan Hodnett, who has worked for the Boston-based manager in London for the past four years. Allen, who represented Eaton Vance through Allen Partners prior…

(Pictured: Frank Pegan) by Patrick Liddy In late 1999, one of the Vatican’s custodians, gave a presentation to the to the Vatican investment fund secretary. She was flanked be several lawyers and at the time was concentrating on the ornate but functional legal document in front of her. Latin takes a lot of effort. The folk…

(Pictured: Peter Sartori) by Greg Bright  Australian institutional investors are generally considered to be among the most sophisticated with their offshore investments. They pioneered international infrastructure and have been enthusiastic participants in overseas private equity, direct property and other real assets. But what about listed equities? While adopting an allocation, on average, of more than 30…

(Pictured: Rob de Silva) Heuristic Investment Solutions expects to eventually start talking to former members of the van Eyk research team in their new ventures, after the collapse resulted in the loss of one of their major platform clients. “We did some work for them for about seven years,” Heuristic co-founder Damian Hennessy said. Heuristic, which…

(Pictured: Adam Lancaster) Two of Ausbil Investment Management’s stalwarts, Adam Lancaster and Mark Reilly, have left the firm to take a break from the industry for a while. Reilly, the chief operating officer, has been replaced by Simon Blakers while a search for Lancaster’s replacement is nearing completion. Blakers, who started at Ausbil last month for…

‘Chief Investment Officer’, the US-based industry magazine, has a bold lead story in its December issue. It says: “By the time you read this sentence, Russell Investments may be no more.” The magazine’s online newsletter, aiCIO, said on November 20: “If you read this in November, Russell will likely remain what its official biography claims…