Leadership & profiles
Brandweiner the right choice for Future Fund’s mandate balancing act
Industry veteran Richard Brandweiner has been appointed as the next chief investment officer of Australia’s sovereign wealth fund. Brandweiner, who has long argued that institutional capital has an obligation to shape the Australian economy, joins the Future Fund as it navigates an expanded mandate to invest in areas of national priority.
Analysis
Contemplating the possibility of a lost decade for markets
Extended periods of market weakness are not as rare as often thought. With growth asset exposure approaching 75 per cent for APRA-regulated funds, the industry and members could be exposed to returns turning out to be poor over an extended period.
Leadership & profiles
What HESTA’s CEO pick says about the super wars
The appointment of profit-to-member mainstay Robbie Campo to the CEO role at the $100 billion HESTA comes with the fund under increasing pressure relating to its relationship with Grow Inc. and the industry-wide acceleration of outflows to platforms.
Industry & regulation
Time to bring law to SMSF ‘wild west’: Hartley
More regulation is needed to address consumer harm arising from SMSFs and the Financial Accountability Regime should apply even to platforms that outsource their super trustee in order to close governance gaps, according to Insignia Financial CEO Scott Hartley.
12 – 14 May, 2026
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
21 July, 2026
Insurance in Super Summit
19 August, 2026
Retirement Leaders Summit
Leadership & profiles
Former GESB CEO heads to asset manager
Former GESB CEO Ben Palmer has taken up the top job at Affinity Funds Management after 13 years at the Western Australian super fund, joining the ranks of super fund executives who have headed to family offices, charities and asset and wealth managers following careers in the super sector.
Profiles
‘Not afraid of the size we are’: NGS pushes ‘alternative scale’ as churn slows
NGS Super is on a mission to reduce its member churn with a bid to lean into its “alternative scale” as a small player in a superannuation landscape dominated by increasingly mammoth funds. Chief executive Natalie Previtera says the transition to Grow – which she calls the Ferrari of admin systems – is one of the first crucial steps.
2025 Insurance in Super Summit
What the super industry can learn about leadership under pressure
A willingness to make tough decisions in difficult circumstances characterises the careers of both former Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan AC and the neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo, and will provide the Investment Magazine Insurance in Super Summit with insights into the secrets of effective leadership in a challenging environment.
Podcasts
Pension Policy Series podcast: Expediting regulatory reform
The Conexus Institute executive director, Dr David Bell, and research fellow, Dr Geoff Warren, discuss key legislative reforms currently in the pipeline that need to be expedited by the government to support funds in their development of better outcomes for members.
Governance
Why funds need to deal with TPA’s ‘free rider’ problem
More and more super funds are pivoting to the TPA approach, but will need to confront the long-standing issues with accountability that come with it if they want that model to be sustainable into the future.
Governance
Aware backs tougher law to ensure company action against modern slavery
Aware Super has backed the call for a legislative change that will introduce mandatory human rights due diligence for large Australian companies, as head of responsible investment Liza McDonald said it’s a “reasonable request” which will help asset owners understand and manage the governance risks in their portfolios.
Business strategy
Future Fund looks to slash external tech spend in cost-cutting drive
The $335 billion Future Fund is hoping to find tens of millions in cost savings by consolidating arrangements with external data and tech providers and putting a number of roles under review as it reconsiders resourcing in a volatile investment environment that it “expects to endure”.
Investments
The world won’t wait for the investment committee
The institutions managing long-term savings might not be built to respond at the speed the world now moves. The gap between knowing and acting – which, ultimately, is where all risk lives – is one they can’t afford to keep open.
Investments
Private credit managers say investor concerns are overhyped
Investment leaders in private credit have dismissed concerns about the asset class, arguing the real issue is a mismatch between the liquidity of the asset class and the expectations of non-institutional investors.
