Age of activism UniSuper's recent, very public opposition to the Westfield restructure illustrated at least one thing: super funds have clout. Gone are the days when trustees delegated all investment decisions - including shareholder voting rights - to an assortment of external fund managers. Now, some of the big funds have their own in-house managers who have the expertise to make complicated judgments. And as the episode with Westfield showed, they are not afraid to use this expertise.
But what does this mean for businesses? Will super funds become increasingly active in the governance and decision-making of the companies they own? Will they use their clout to force companies to do things they wouldn't otherwise have done? Will they even use their financial muscle to force environmental and social change, divesting from fossil fuels, tobacco and weapons manufacturers? Or is this all hyperbole? FS Super associate editor James Fernyhough sat down with UniSuper chief investment officer John Pearce to
 Climbing to the topVanguard Australia managing director Daniel Shrimski is determined to propel the investment giant's superannuation product into the top 10 funds by assets ...  The super, super fundAware Super has marked its expansion into Europe with the grand opening of its London office.  A fresh startColonial First State chief investment officer Jonathan Armitage has a clear-eyed focus on positioning the fund manager as the first choice for retirement ...  In the thick of itDrawn to the intersection of colliding viewpoints, Industry Super Australia chief executive Bernie Dean has dedicated his career to crafting consensus ...  Cards on the tableMeat Industry Employees Superannuation Fund has proved size doesn't always matter, outdoing industry giants with impressive returns. At the same time ...  The art of investingEquity markets will always move higher over the long term despite the current uncertainty about interest rates, monetary policy, and inflation, according ...  Dawn of a new eraBeginning his tenure amid a turbulent COVID environment, Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation chief executive Damian Hill has overcome a challenging ...  Living the dreamHeading one of the country's largest sustainable investors wasn't something Peter Chun ever envisioned for himself, but that's just a bonus of taking ...  Taking actionAfter more than two decades as Local Government Super, a monumental rebrand has breathed new life into the $14 billion industry fund. Jamie Williamson ...  Behind the returnsIn four short years, HESTA chief investment officer Sonya Sawtell-Rickson has transformed the way the industry fund invests. With $64 billion in members' ... |
Latest News
AMP launches superannuation feature to boost retirement income
AMP has launched AMP Super Lifetime; a superannuation feature it claims could lift members' retirement incomes by over $100,000 in the first decade post-work.
Iress completes sale of super business
Iress has today completed the sale of its superannuation business to Apex Group.
UK treasury provides guidance on local pension consolidation
The Pension Investment Review aims to consolidate smaller public pension and multi-employer defined contribution pension schemes into 'megafunds' to emulate Australian and Canadian investing models.
Quality over quantity: CareSuper on mergers
The dust has barely settled on the merger that created CareSuper as it is today and chief executive Jason Murray is gearing up for another in mere months - but he's not looking to make a habit of it.
Further Reading
Cover Story
Climbing to the top
DANIEL SHRIMSKI
MANAGING DIRECTOR
VANGUARD INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LTD
MANAGING DIRECTOR
VANGUARD INVESTMENTS AUSTRALIA LTD
Vanguard Australia managing director Daniel Shrimski is determined to propel the investment giant's superannuation product into the top 10 funds by assets under management by 2030. It's an audacious goal, even for a fund backed by the world's second largest asset manager. Andrew McKean writes.
Expert Feed
Elevating your emerging markets game plan
Do emerging markets still belong in a modern investment strategy? If so, how do we appropriately weight emerging markets exposure?
Inflows into fixed income ETFs gather pace
While the penetration of fixed income into the ETF structure has lagged way behind equities, we expect flows to accelerate.
Managing uncertainty in a rapidly changing economic landscape
As we distill the first quarter's volatility and confusion, there is further economic moderation ahead with sizable risks to the downside.
AI, alternative data and sustainability in focus
As AI and alternative data reshape quantitative investing, here are some key insights from discussions with institutional investors.
