Count picks up Insignia practice
Count has added advisory business Murray Nankivell to its network, having previously been licensed by Insignia-owned Australian financial services licensee Consultum.
Private credit ‘not a bubble’, says AMP as it kicks off SAA review
AMP’s superannuation arm is set to increase its private debt and overall credit exposure as the retail fund embarks on a strategic asset allocation review in the next few months. Addressing the rising concern among global institutional investors that the private debt boom might be deceiving, AMP’s portfolio management head Stuart Eliot says the asset class is “definitely not a bubble” and still offers attractive opportunities.
ASIC wins first greenwashing case amid climate disclosure push
ASIC has scored its first win on the greenwashing front as the Federal Court ruled in its favour on Thursday that Vanguard Australia made “misleading claims” in one of its investment products. It came as the Labor government ramps up its legislative commitment to net zero action before the election.
Legalsuper appoints investment and commercial execs
Legalsuper has appointed Paul Murray as its chief investment officer, Colin Adamson as chief commercial officer and Alissa Knight to the office of the CEO and strategy.
Union boss joins Spirit Super board
Spirit Super has appointed Andrew Dettmer, national president of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, to its board, replacing David Smith who is finishing his term after 12 years as a member representative.
First Nations Foundation locates $25.2m in lost super
First Nations Foundation has reconnected Indigenous communities with $1.2 million in superannuation in 2023, boosting the overall total of super located to $25.2 million.
QMV Legal closes shop following Novigi acquisition
Novigi has closed its specialist superannuation law advisory practice, QMV Legal, with managing partner Jonathan Steffanoni set to start a new firm.
Former Funds SA CEO to lead NZ Super
Jo Townsend has been appointed chief executive of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, the Crown entity that manages the NZ$70 billion ($64 billion) sovereign fund NZ Super.
Super funds’ boardroom influence is only just beginning
Superannuation industry executives have been quick to clear up they aren’t lobbying for board seats on companies they own, after NAB chair Phil Chronican questioned the independence of such a move. But the reality is some funds are already quietly appointing proxies and this debate has only just begun.
Cost of emissions abatement takes pole position on path to net zero
When it comes to figuring out how a company will get to net zero, more investors are making a distinction between emissions that are hard to abate, and emissions that are expensive to abate. During the Fiduciary Investors Symposium in Singapore earlier this month, Cbus CEO Kristian Fok appeared alongside Bridgewater’s Carsten Stendevad and Wilhelm Mohn of Norway’s giant sovereign fund, addressing the big sustainability questions asset owners need to answer.
Why quant investing is having a renaissance with asset owners
Quantitative investing, a data-based approach to generating alpha by exploiting human biases, is experiencing an uptick in interest following a period sometimes dubbed “the quant winter” between 2018 and 2020. Now considered an attractive middle-ground between passive and active management, Robeco’s Netherlands-based head of quantitative investing and research, Weili Zhou, explains how the method is being re-embraced by global pensions and sovereigns.
UniSuper names head of fixed interest
UniSuper has appointed Mathew McCrum as its head of fixed interest.
