Telstra Super has added to its seven-strong investment team with the appointment of a senior investment management position covering cash and fixed interest.
Chris Artis joined Telstra Super in April after almost two years as Vision Super’s general manager of member and retirement services. Artis’ core responsibility is domestic and global fixed interest, and cash portfolio. He is also managing the international equities portfolio while senior investment manager Belinda Curtis is on maternity leave until later this year. Artis reports directly to Telstra Super chief investment officer Steve Merlicek. Prior to his stint at Vision Super, Artis managed investments at Emergency Services Super, where he was also operations manager, and was a director on the board of Utilities Trust of Australia. Acting chief executive of Telstra Super, Martin Crowe, said Artis was a great addition to the team with broad experience. Crowe was appointed acting CEO last week after the $10.5 billion fund’s longstanding chief executive Terry McCredden resigned to run $24 billion fund UniSuper. Crowe has been with Telstra Super since 2000 as chief financial officer and fund secretary, and sits on the audit and compliance and remuneration committees. McCredden was chief executive since 1990.
There is one investment area where Insignia’s $180 billion super arm has not lost money for the past 17 years, which is what it calls the insurance-related investments. The alternatives strategy is gaining popularity among asset owners due to its diversification benefit, but Insignia’s super and asset management investment chief Dan Farmer warns it is a space where investors can suffer if they “stumble in without doing the homework”.
Darcy SongJanuary 23, 2025
