Australian executive pay in “straightjacket”

Long-term incentive (LTI) schemes for Australian executives are driven by “caution and conformity” and the one-size-fits all approach needs reform, according to a research paper from funds manager BlackRock. Pru Bennett, BlackRock’s Asia-Pacific head of corporate governance and responsible investment, has studied the LTI schemes used by 148 companies listed on the ASX and found … Read more

EQT signs up to Calastone network

Fund trustee group Equity Trustees (EQT) has signed up to independent cross-border network, Calastone, on behalf of its 52 fund managers. Calastone enables funds to send and receive fund-order messages, irrespective of their size or location, in any format over any network. Its real-time order routing is highly automated and provides visible order-flow control for … Read more

OC Funds Management appoints custodian

Incumbent National Australia Bank Asset Servicing has been reappointed as custodian and investment administrator for OC Funds Management. The re-appointment is for a five-year term, following on from what is already a seven-year liaison. The decision was made after a custody review, with OC’s market manager Sam Cole saying the “depth and strength” of the … Read more

Stack’s time up
at Future Fund

Mitchell Stack, director of debt investments at the Future Fund, is leaving to join Bain Capital’s Sankaty Advisors, which manages some of the fund’s high-yield investments. Stack joined the Future Fund in 2007 from US bond firm, Western Asset Management, and has built the debt team within the Future Fund. Boston-based Sankaty manages just under … Read more

Life insurance for mental
illness sufferers

Writing life insurance for those who suffer mental health issues has long been a vexed area, but insurers and the health sector are working to put minds at ease, reports JEREMY CHUNN. Life insurance is something almost all Australians would happily admit to knowing very little about. For the 3 per cent who suffer enduring … Read more

QANTAS Super focuses on implementation efficiency

QANTAS Super continues to innovate on implementation efficiency, applying a new structure for managing its Australian and global equities centrally, which is expected to save its members more than $9 million a year. Chief investment officer of the $6-billion fund, Andrew Spence, said the move was the latest in a number of innovative solutions employed … Read more

Microequities pitches to institutions

Melbourne-based AFM Investment Partners has taken Microequities chief executive Carlos Gil’s funds boutique under its wing and is making institutional introductions, hoping to tap into funds’ momentum towards diversification. Microequities has two funds, the oldest of which, the Deep Value Microcap Fund, was launched in March 2009. Seeded with only $500,000, the fund is now … Read more

Castlereagh on the rocky road

Castlereagh has a very wide circle of friends, but this week he’s been mixing with those he jokingly refers to as his “boganaire” mates. It all started a few years ago when I had a few mining shares in some penny-dreadful denuding the outback. All they found was a bit of space junk, but we … Read more

Meet the movers this week

Alternative execution platform Chi-X Australia has announced that inaugural Australian chief executive, Peter Fowler, will step down in early 2013. He will, however, continue in his role as a director on the board of Chi-X Australia. Chi-X Global is currently undertaking a global search and evaluation process for a successor, who is expected to be … Read more