A key member of the $13 billion HESTA fund’s investment team has departed, prompting a search.

Beth Bisso’s last day at HESTA was Friday, with HESTA’s head of investments and corporate governance, Robert Fowler, saying she simply wanted to take a break from the industry.

Bisso’s departure takes HESTA’s investment team temporarily down to three-and-a-half, however a fund spokesperson said a national search for a replacement had yielded many applicants, and was well advanced. 

Bisso joined HESTA in May 2006 as an investments analyst, responsible for HESTA’s fund manager relationships in listed equities and absolute return strategies. Prior to HESTA, Bisso worked at UniSuper for three years as an investment analyst, but with a more operational focus.