Fund People Update

New Appointments

First Super welcomes deputy CEO

Michelle Boucher is the new deputy chief executive at First Super, leaving Cbus in a senior leadership role to join the peer industry superannuation fund.

BUSSQ appoints relationship and advice head, executive manager of operations

Camille Magee is the new executive manager at BUSSQ for relationships, growth and advice. Magee moves into the role from another internal position of executive officer for member engagement. Trevor Govender is the new executive manager of operations, product and finance at the super fund, moving from IQ Group as a consultant to the superannuation industry.

Rest welcomes head of investment strategy and investment allocation, head of capital markets

Andrew Thomas is a new addition to the in-house investments team at Rest superannuation, filling the role of head of investment strategy and investment allocation. Thomas moves into the role from the head of client portfolios at BlackRock. Sally Cobb is the new head of capital markets, moving into the role from an investment consultant role within Rest.

Vanguard Super appoints four-person board

Vanguard’s new superannuation product, Vanguard Super Pty Ltd, is to be chaired by Peggy O’Neal, with other positions filled by Jeremy Duffield, Anne Flanagan and Cynthia Lui.

O’Neal is a former partner at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, a consultant to the Cooper Review, and a member of Vanguard Investments Australia’s external compliance committee. Duffield was the founding managing director and chair of Vanguard Investments in Australia, co-founded SuperEd Pty Ltd, and chaired the board of Retirement Essentials.

Flanagan was an alternate director and member of AustralianSuper’s audit compliance and risk management committee, a non-executive director at ANZ Staff Superannuation, and chief financial officer of RACV. Lui is currently Vanguard’s head of international legal and compliance.

BlackRock appoints two co-heads of sustainable investing for Asia-Pacific region

Emily Woodland and Geir Espeskog are the new co-heads of BlackRock Sustainable Investing for Asia Pacific, with Woodland hired from AMP Capital and both based in Hong Kong. Woodland was the head of sustainable investment at AMP Capital, while Espeskog is the head of iShares Asia Pacific distribution at BlackRock currently.

HESTA welcomes new investment manager

Chris Lye is the newest addition to the HESTA investment team, as an investment manager for Australian equities and liquid alternatives. Lye moves into the role from IFM Investors as a senior associate.

MLC AM welcomes head of managed accounts, head of investment consulting

Neil Gellett is the new head of managed accounts at MLC Asset Management, moving on from XPLORE Wealth as head of product. Brent Bevan is the new head of investment consulting, moving from Mercer.

Departures

WTW loses research manager

Jessica Melville has left Willis Towers Watson after over 12 years at the firm in a variety of roles, the most recent being managing research teams and consultancy. The role has not yet been filled. Melville has a new role, yet to be announced.

JANA farewells CIO after 23 years

Steven Carew has resigned from JANA after over two decades to pursue other interests. Carew still has another eight months on his term, which will be spent investing in new ways to deliver advice to clients. No replacement has been found.

Mercer loses Pacific CFO

David McKeown is leaving Mercer, with his latest role being the Pacific region’s chief financial officer, but has not said what’s on the menu next. Emily O’Brien replaces McKeown, moving into the role from Australian Unity as the general manager of commercial and structured finance.