AustralianSuper – a super fund that looks like an investment bank

AustralianSuper has reinforced its status as not just a superannuation fund but a global investment manager with six investment appointments in the United Kingdom (UK).

The big super fund said the appointments would play a pivotal role in helping the fund to develop and implement its international investment model.

It said the fund is forecast to grow by more than $500 billion over the next five years and would deploy almost 70% of its growing inflows into global markets, with deputy chief investment officer, Damian Maloney saying the UK appointments reflected the region’s long-term importance to the fund.

“Since opening our office in the UK seven years ago, we have sought the best talent to enable us to build our investment platform and improve our global presence, with the aim of driving sustainable long-term performance for more than 3.1 million members. With capabilities now in place across private, public and capital markets, the London office is now an important investment engine for the Fund,” he said.

“We’re building a high-calibre and experienced team in London to ensure the Fund is strategically positioned in a market that will create many opportunities to generate excellent long-term returns for members,” Moloney said.

The six appointments include senior staffers drawn from Macquarie Group, BNP Asset Management, Aberdeen Standard, Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan.

AustralianSuper named the UK recruits as being:

 Carl Astorri appointed Head of Investments, Europe

 John Normand appointed Head of Investment Strategy

 Sujay Shah appointed Head of Internal Government Portfolios

 Deborah Gilshan appointed Head of ESG & Stewardship, Europe

 William Manfield appointed Head of Group Risk, International

 Amanda Mitchell appointed Head of Corporate Affairs, Europe

John Normand – Head of Investment Strategy, will join AustralianSuper in late August 2023 following 24 years at J.P. Morgan, where he was most recently Head of Cross-Asset Strategy. Over his career as a macro strategist, he has covered all public markets, and was also J.P. Morgan’s Head of Research for Foreign Exchange, International Bonds and Commodities. He holds degrees from Georgetown, Princeton, and London School of Economics, and is a CFA charterholder. At AustralianSuper he will lead the asset allocation research team that drives investment strategy across all major asset classes.

Sujay Shah – Head of Internal Government Portfolios, joined from Tesco Pension Fund. He has over 18 years’ experience in central banking, discretionary trading and active portfolio management across interest rate and FX markets. He previously held a number of senior roles at The Bank of England, Goldman Sachs and BMO Global Asset Management. At AustralianSuper he manages the Fund’s government bonds portfolios and team, both being split between the UK and Australia.

Deborah Gilshan – Head of ESG and Stewardship, Europe, joins AustralianSuper with more than 22 years’ experience in global investment stewardship, shareholder engagement and ESG integration, including over 18 years at three large institutional investors, Railpen, Aberdeen Standard Investments and the UK’s Co-operative Insurance Society. For the last four years, she has provided independent advisory services on investment stewardship, ESG integration and diversity to clients across the investment chain. Deborah is founder of The 100% Club, a multi-sector networking alliance dedicated to gender equality which she established in 2011. At AustralianSuper she will oversee the Fund’s ESG and stewardship programs in public and private markets in Europe, including interacting with stakeholders, regulators and industry bodies.

William Manfield – Head of Group Risk, International, joins AustralianSuper from BNP Paribas Asset Management. With over 25 years’ experience, he has extensive expertise in creating and implementing pragmatic risk management frameworks as well as product knowledge across multiple asset classes. His previous experience includes a variety of risk roles at Janus Henderson Investors, BlueBay Asset Management and Schroders. At AustralianSuper he is responsible for the strategic direction of the risk and compliance function in the international offices, including the implementation and ongoing effectiveness of the Fund’s risk management framework, and ensuring alignment to local regulatory requirements.

Amanda Mitchell – Head of Corporate Affairs, Europe, joins AustralianSuper following 16 years at Macquarie Group, where she was most recently Head of Corporate Affairs for Macquarie’s global asset management business. With deep experience across public and private markets investments, she is responsible for providing strategic advice and support to AustralianSuper’s London and New York offices across a range of communications and stakeholder engagement activities, including asset acquisitions and divestments, media relations, issues and reputation management, and government affairs.