The role of alternatives in exploiting opportunities at turning points in the economic cycle

Arthur Bengasino, Portfolio Manager - Alternative Investments, TelstraSuper

Arthur Bengasino is a Portfolio Manager for the Opportunities portfolio in alternative investments at TelstraSuper.

TelstraSuper was established in 1990 as a subsidiary of Telstra Corporation Limited. Today it is a leading profit-to-members superannuation fund with around AU$25 billion in assets, which it invests on behalf of members.

In this exclusive interview with Global Investment Institute (GII), Arthur shares his perspectives on some of the key areas of focus for him in his role and the growing role of alternatives in institutional portfolios.

Brandon Roddis promoted to Acting Chief Investment Officer, Allianz Australia

June 2022

GII congratulates Brandon Roddis on his promotion to Acting Chief Investment Officer at Allianz Australia.

Allianz is one of the largest general insurers in Australia with an investment portfolio of ~AU$10 billion. Allianz Australia has more than 3 million customers across home, motor, CTP, travel and business insurance and insures around 25% of top ASX 200 companies.

He is an experienced portfolio manager, mostly on the buy-side, with a history of working across insurance, superannuation, pension and charity/endowment organisations. He is skilled in constructing and managing multi-asset portfolios with knowledge spanning across equity, fixed income, alternative and real asset markets.

We wish Brandon all the best in his new role and continued success to the Allianz Australia team.

Alexis Cheang appointed Head of Investment Stewardship, NSW TCorp

June 2022

GII congratulates Alexis Cheang on her appointment to the role Head of Investment Stewardship at NSW TCorp, the investment and financial management partner of the New South Wales (NSW) public sector.

In this role Alexis will be responsible for leading the Investment Stewardship team and managing and evolving the organisation’s best-practice stewardship strategy, operating model and portfolio outcomes. This encompasses the implementation of the Investment Stewardship Policy and ongoing management of the five stewardship pillars and embedding this throughout TCorp’s investment model and processes.

We wish Alexis all the best in her new role and continued success to the team at NSW TCorp.

Zelda Tupicoff appointed Chief Operating Officer, Global Investment Institute (GII)

June 2022

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Zelda Tupicoff to the role of Chief Operating Officer at Global Investment Institute (GII), responsible for heading up business development, strategy, and scaling of GII.

Zelda is an experienced executive and most recently held the position Chief Operating Officer at Australia’s largest B2B publisher where she was responsible for achieving the organisation’s revenue targets through the management of sales managers and over 30 business development managers across channels including print, digital, and events.

Zelda will be using her 15 years of experience in B2B sales and marketing to connect fund managers and institutional investors through bespoke solutions across in-person events, virtual events, and digital media.

Paving the path forward under Kate Galvin's leadership for Victoria's public authority, VFMC

Kate Galvin, Chief Executive, VFMC

Kate is the Chief Executive Officer of Victorian Funds Management Corporation (VFMC), and has been in the role since October 2021.

VFMC is a public authority responsible for investing AU$75 billion on behalf of Victorians, managing the long-term investments of Victorian State Government entities, comprising of 31 Victorian public authorities and related organisations.

Having settled into her new leadership role at VFMC, Kate shared her vision for paving the path forward for the organisation in this GII exclusive interview.

Skye King promoted to Head of ESG and Responsible Investment, NGS Super

May 2022

GII congratulates Skye King on her promotion to Head of ESG and Responsible Investment at NGS Super.

NGS Super is an Industry SuperFund for those in the education and community sectors, open to everyone and represents more than 110,000 members, with $13+ billion in net assets under management.

We wish Skye all the best in her new role and continued success to the team at NGS Super.

Sue Wang promoted to Acting Head of Portfolio Management, Mercer Australia

May 2022

GII congratulates Sue Wang on her promotion to Acting Head of Portfolio Management at Mercer Australia, replacing Ronan McCabe who will be relocating back to Ireland.

In her new role, Sue will be focused on further integrating Mercer's leading strategic and manager research with best-in-class multi-manager investment management, having previously been responsible for leading the manager research function and managing Mercer’s Pacific Fixed Income Funds at the organisation.

We wish Sue all the best in her new role and continued success to the Mercer team.

Elizabeth Paine appointed Assistant Portfolio Manager, Funds SA

May 2022

GII congratulates Elizabeth on her appointment to the position Assistant Portfolio Manager at Funds SA, the investment management partner for South Australian public sector superannuation funds and approved authorities, with more than $41 billion in assets under management.

Before joining Funds SA, Elizabeth was a Senior Investment Consultant (Principal) in Mercer’s Investments business, advising institutional clients on investment strategy, portfolio construction, manager selection and investment monitoring. She is based in Adelaide.

We wish Elizabeth all the best in her new role and continued success to the team at Funds SA.

Robbie Campo appointed Chief Executive, ESSSuper

May 2022

GII congratulates Robbie on her appointment to the Chief Executive role at ESSSuper, a $35 billion government fund with a member base of 128,000.

Robbie will be commencing in the role in early July 2022. She is currently the group executive – brand, engagement, advocacy and product at Cbus, a role she has held since 2017.

We wish Robbie all the best in her new role and continued success to the team at ESSSuper.

Portfolio for the Future: A practitioner’s guide to the five essential marks of effective capital allocation

Whitepaper - CAIA

The contributors of this whitepaper discuss the five marks of the Portfolio for the Future™—broadly diversified, less liquid, rooted in a fiduciary mindset, actively engaged, and dependent on operational alpha. These are the defining features of all-weather portfolios that meet the challenges of the global economy and capital markets.

We must all rise to the occasion.

Quarterly state of play: Three key macro questions shaping equities investing

Rob Tucker, Managing Director, Chester Asset Management

The world has changed significantly in the past 8 weeks, overshaddowed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the inflation dilemma posed to policy makers and the growing focus on self-sufficiency driven by supply shortages experienced.

With the prospect of tightening financial conditions over the remainder of 2022 (and beyond), Rob shares his thoughts on the three key macro questions shaping Australian equities investing.

Ron Mehmet, promoted to Senior Consultant, Lonsec Investment Solutions (LIS)

April 2022

GII congratulates Ron on his promotion to Senior Consultant within the Lonsec Investment Solutions (LIS) team.

LIS assists financial advisers in implementing separately managed account (SMA) solutions. In his new role, Ron will work with consulting clients and support Deanne Baker, Multi Asset Portfolio Manager, with portfolio management and provide input on their SAA and portfolio construction reviews.

Currently. Ron is also a member of the Lonsec Investment Committee and Lonsec Manager Selection Investment Committee.

We wish Ron all the best in his new role and continued success to the team at Lonsec.

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