Hostplus CEO David Elia, HESTA CEO Debby Blakey and APRA deputy chair Margaret Cole have all been recognised in the King’s Birthday 2026 Honours List.

Elia was made a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the superannuation industry through executive roles, while Blakey, who is set to leave HESTA in July, was appointed for significant service to the superannuation sector and to corporate governance.

“I feel deeply honoured to be receiving this recognition,” Blakey said in a statement. “I’ve had the privilege of leading an exceptional team at HESTA who show up with dedication to our members’ needs every day, and this recognition truly belongs to them.

“Everyone deserves the opportunity to retire with confidence and dignity. That’s why we keep pushing for a fairer super system that works for everyone, with investment innovation and approaches that support strong long-term returns and better retirement outcomes for our members.”

Blakey’s tenure at HESTA was characterised by a more active approach to the fund’s engagement with investee companies; the fund was also an early mover on exclusions, and one of the first to drop tobacco companies from its portfolio. Blakey was visibly involved in many of HESTA’s engagements with companies to a greater degree than other super fund CEOs, and told Investment Magazine in an exit interview that they were “not always” easy.

“It does go back to being very clear about why we were doing this. And I hope that at HESTA it was very clear that we never did this to seek the spotlight. We did this because we thought it was important. And the hardest moments require absolute clarity on why. You have to understand it; as a team you have to share it.”  

More broadly, the appointments of Elia and Blakey highlight the growing presence of super funds in the Australian political landscape and come as they increasingly join economic missions to key partners including the United States, UK and France.

Cole, who is set to leave the regulator at the end of this month, and whose replacement has still not been announced despite a flurry of industry fund lobbying, was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to finance through regulatory reform in the industry”. In a media release, APRA highlighted Cole’s oversight of the implementation of the Financial Accountability Regime and a “broad range” of government reforms to strengthen the superannuation industry, including the introduction of the annual performance test.

“Margaret has been resolute in setting high expectations of APRA-regulated entities in areas including board governance and accountability,” APRA chair John Lonsdale said in the release. “Nowhere is that more evident than in superannuation, where Margaret has driven substantial improvements in trustee resilience and accountability for delivering better retirement outcomes for Australians.”

Cole said she was “honoured” by the recognition.

“A senior regulator has to have strong values of personal integrity and courage, to act without fear or favour in matters of great complexity and critical purpose,” Cole said.

“Such values were instilled in me by my parents who brought me up in a working class home in the northwest of England, committed to ensuring that I had education and opportunity without knowing where this journey would take me.”

The Order of Australia recognises Australians who have demonstrated outstanding service or exceptional achievement. There are four levels of award: The Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Past appointees from the superannuation industry include now Future Fund chair Greg Combet AM, who was appointed to the Order for distinguished service to the people and Parliament of Australia, and to the banking and superannuation industries; and Colin Tate AM, founder and managing director of Conexus Financial, publisher of Investment Magazine, who was appointed for significant service to the community through charitable initiatives and for campaigning for the royal commission into financial services misconduct.