AIMA

Perpetual, Victor Smorgon Partners and Rixon Capital took out some of the top gongs at the Australian Alternative Investment Awards, but the big win was for those who have worked tirelessly to professionalise Australia’s hedge funds landscape.

Uncertainty, dispersion and volatility are “magical words” for hedge funds, and the $160 billion Aware Super has reframed its thinking around the liquid alternatives space in a more complex macro environment.

An offshore manager took the top gong at Hedge Funds Rock but the big win in 2023 was for an industry on the verge of “tremendous growth” – and the changing dynamics within it.

Hedge funds are increasingly confident that investors will see the worth of their strategies. But they’ll likely experience further declines in FUM and performance before a global “bounce back”.

As a world of woe continues to roil markets, Australia’s top alternative investment managers gathered to celebrate their gains and raise money for a good cause.

Investment management still trends “pale, male, and stale”. But a new mentoring program is aiming to close the female participation gap.