The Conexus Institute has commenced a research project on superannuation fund trustee board skills, composition and competency, seeking to bring an evidence-based fact set to a controversial conversation that continues to dog the sector.

The not-for-profit think-tank – which was established five years ago and is philanthropically funded by Conexus Financial, publisher of Investment Magazine – will produce and make available to the public a first-of-its-kind database of every trustee director of the 40 largest super funds in Australia.

“We will use this to offer general and relative assessments of areas such as board composition, diversity and skills,” said David Bell, executive director of The Conexus Institute. “The motivation was to move beyond the debate around how trustee boards are put together and explore the actual characteristics and qualities of the boards in place.

A sneak peek of the research findings will be unveiled at the annual Investment Magazine Chair Forum on February 4-5 2026 at the Intercontinental Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.

The forum will be attended by super sector leaders including Australian Retirement Trust chair Helen Rowell, MLC Super chair Danielle Press, Hesta chair Nicola Roxon, Hostplus chair Damien Frawley, Mercer Super chair Jim Minto, AMP Super chair Tony Brain and Cbus chair Wayne Swan and Rest chair James Merlino, among a distinguished line-up of chairs, deputy chairs and investment committee chairs.

It will also hear from officials including Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Daniel Mulino, Reserve Bank of Australian Assistant Governor Brad Jones, APRA deputy chair Margaret Cole and ASIC Commissioner Simone Constant, alongside special guests former West Australian premier Mark McGowan, Lifeline chair Steve Moylan and geopolitics expert Ben Weiss, chief executive of Veracity Worldwide.

The longstanding debate referred to by Bell has been fuelled by comments from the regulators, particularly APRA, which has listed compliance with SPS530 on superannuation governance as a priority and questioned whether board directors are sufficiently expert in key areas such as private markets investment and oversight; and financial advice and retirement income.

“Good governance is crucial as the industry transitions its focus from the accumulation phase to the retirement phase, and as superannuation becomes increasingly interconnected within the financial system,” Cole told the Chair Forum 2025.

“As the industry has grown in scale and complexity, the rigour, skills and experience of trustee boards is increasingly being put to the test. Public scrutiny of trustee board governance is on the rise, as we’ve seen from the media coverage over the past year.”

The forum will also interrogate important governance and risk management topics including cybersecurity and technology; financial advice and retirement strategy; financial stability and liquidity stress.

It will feature a private chairs’ breakfast, chaired for the first time by Press following the resignation of longtime ART chair Andrew Fraser from the mega-fund’s board last month to become chair of the Bank of Queensland.

In his final annual member meeting, Fraser reflected on the achievement of having overseen the merger of Sunsuper and QSuper to become ART.

“The idea of ART, its prospects and its capacity to be an enduring force for good corralled all and sundry into the opportunity, against and above sectional self-interest,” he said. “I conclude my time with enormous gratitude and the enduring satisfaction of having contributed to the betterment of others.”

Just seven tickets remain for eligible chairs, deputy chairs and investment committee chairs to attend the Chair Forum 2026. Register here.