Opening up early access to super for housing would have a negative effect on the balances of even those members that don’t dig into their savings, with funds forced to adopt more conservative investment strategies and hold more liquid assets.
The circa $88 billion industry fund for workers in health and community services reckons that alleviating the affordable housing crisis will boost its other investments by easing the cost of living and inflation.
Ohlsson takes on major role at Evergreen
Michael Ohlsson has become a shareholder and executive director of Evergreen Consultants, the wholesale specialist asset advisory, ratings and research business co-founded by Angela Ashton in 2016.
The firm has expanded rapidly in the past five years, last year launching a separate subsidiary to concentrate on ratings and research for non-mainstream products and managers, which has been an under-researched field. It has also recruited a strategic partnerships manager, Lia Gunawan, who will report to Ohlsson.
Evergreen also recently launched an ESG index known as ‘ERIG’ (Evergreen Responsible Investment Grade index) and an investment portfolio stress-testing tool for financial advisers.
Ohlsson has bought the remaining shares of Evergreen co-founder Brett Baker, who left the firm last September, and will adopt the roles of COO and head of sales. In his funds management career he has been the chief executive of several funds management businesses, including Fidelity International in Australia, and before that held several senior sales positions, including Barclays Global Investors (now BlackRock) where he covered both wholesale, followed by institutional, business.
Ashton has also had a long and diverse career in the investment industry, starting with asset consulting, followed by a senior investment strategy role at QIC and then various assignments for fund managers, financial advisory groups and REs. She will now focus more on her role overseeing investments and research.
Gunawan has held research and key account management roles including managing the commercial relationships between licensees and product providers.
Ashton said in a statement: “Evergreen is going through a significant growth phase… We are committed to providing financial advisers with the solutions they need. We have had a very positive response to our new ratings business as well, Evergreen Ratings.”
Ohlsson said: “Evergreen is shaping a business that is responding to market needs and building innovative solutions for financial advisers and their clients.”
