Meeting Australia’s institutional allocators: Why thoughtful engagement matters
For global fund managers looking to raise capital, Australia’s institutional investment community is one of the most compelling and concentrated in the world. Australia’s pension assets pool currently ranks as the fourth largest globally, and is expected to surpass Canada and the UK, to become the world’s second largest market during the 2030s, behind the US.
With increasing concentration of the industry through merger activity, there are a relatively small number of decision-makers overseeing large, long-duration pools of capital, still overwhelmingly in accumulation phase, accessing these investors isn’t about casting a wide net. It’s about precise, meaningful engagement.
At our events, we don’t focus on size. We focus on substance. Each year, we host a small number of investment forums designed specifically for institutional allocators, which includes key investment decision makers in Chief Investment Officer roles, heads of asset class, senior portfolio managers and asset allocation and portfolio strategists of superannuation funds, insurers, government funds and endowments as well as other organisations managing institutional-sized portfolios. These events are built to support the conversations that matter: direct, well-timed, and grounded in relevance.
A sophisticated, informed audience
With the size of the assets pool managed by Australian institutional investors, portfolios are spilling over into global markets, presenting opportunities for global asset management brands to engage with key decision makers of Australian asset owner organisations across the full spectrum of asset classes and investment styles. While internalisation of investments has been a notable theme, with many of the large superannuation funds bringing a portion of their investments in-house, their level of investment sophistication is among the world’s best. They are analytically rigorous, with clear views on manager selection, alignment of interest, and portfolio construction.
For global fund managers, whether in equities, fixed income and credit, PE, hedge funds, real estate and infrastructure, this means the path to engagement must be sharply defined. It’s not enough to “get a meeting”. Managers must show why they matter: how they offer something distinctive, how they are aligned and where their strategy fits in the allocator’s portfolio.
Fee compression, but not at all costs
One concern we regularly hear from managers is the issue of fee compression, especially as it relates to superannuation funds. It’s a valid observation. Superannuation has come under regulatory pressure to reduce costs and maximise value for members. But that doesn’t mean fees are off the table, it means they need to be earned.
Institutional allocators in Australia are still willing to pay for access to strategies they cannot build or replicate internally. Niche capabilities, specialist credit, differentiated alpha, or solutions to complex exposures all have a place, if managers can clearly articulate their edge and prove it through performance, process, and alignment.
The value of curation
We only run a small number of flagship conferences each year, precisely because we want to make them count. These are not trade shows, and these are not large scale conferences, with booths and banners. Our events are tightly curated in close consultation with the industry. They are invitation-only gatherings, limited in capacity, designed to respect the allocator’s time and ensure every session delivers insight, with strictly no marketing allowed. The content is curated to meet the needs of allocators and vetted by us to ensure it is educational and thought leadership focused.
Asset manager participation is by design and is all about contributing meaningfully and sharing knowledge with the investors. Allocators attend because they trust the room will be focused, with discussions among participants a key feature of the day, to enable knowledge sharing and peer-to-peer engagement.
Playing the long game
Australian allocators are strategic, cautious, and highly relationship-driven. They don’t move fast, but they do move deliberately. Building trust with this community requires patience, a clear value proposition, and the discipline to show up consistently, not just when fundraising.
For global fund managers serious about institutional capital in Australia, this is a market that rewards substance and exceptional global investors.
To find out more about engaging with Australian institutional investors please reach out zelda@globalii.com.au
Global Investment Institute is Australia’s leading provider of conferences for capital allocators.
We connect institutional investors, family office and private wealth investment leaders with peers and global investment experts to share knowledge and thought leadership in a private, collegiate and discussion-focussed setting, conducted under Chatham House Rule.
Our upcoming events include:
