Australian Retirement Trust (ART), the $200 billion superannuation fund formed from the merger of Sunsuper and QSuper, has announced the appointment of Andrew Fraser as Chair of its board to steward the fund through its next phase of integration and growth.
Fraser replaces Don Luke, who decided to step down from the role of Chair as the end of his term approached.
Fraser was appointed as an independent Director of Sunsuper in September 2015, and as Sunsuper Chair in February 2018. He has served as a director on the ART Board since February following the merger.
Commenting on his appointment, Fraser said: “It is a great responsibility to Chair the board of Australian Retirement Trust. I am grateful for the trust and confidence of my fellow Trustee Directors and I very much look forward to continuing to work to grow and guard the retirement savings of the two million Australians who entrust us with their superannuation.”
Australian Retirement Trust CEO, Bernard Reilly, gave credit to Luke’s leadership during a period of transformation for both QSuper and Sunsuper and the superannuation sector saying: “Don Luke was integral to the successful delivery of the largest and most complex superannuation merger in Australian history to form ART, leaving a lasting legacy for ART’s two million members. On behalf of the Board and executive team I thank Don for his unwavering focus and commitment to acting in our members best interests.”
Although stepping down as Chair, Luke will remain an independent director until the end of his term on 30 November 2022. Fraser’s appointment is effective from mid-October.
Equip Super has announced three senior hires, adding five decades of experience to its team and three internal promotions. The team restructure is designed to bolster Equip’s growing focus on asset allocation and investment expertise, as the fund braces for ongoing market challenges.
As of Monday 3 October, the three new appointments are:
Jessie Pettigrew as Head of Responsible Investments, formerly Head of ESG and Sustainability, BT Financial Group; Alister Wong as Senior Portfolio Manager, Defensive Assets and Alternatives, formerly Head of Investments, Australia Post Superannuation Scheme; and Manish Utreja as Senior Portfolio Manager, Real Assets, formerly Head of Alternatives, Insignia Financial.
Equip has also announced three internal promotions to further strengthen the team: Darren Rosario to the senior role of Deputy Chief Investment Officer, Libby Sparshatt to Head of Asset Management and Stephen Austen to Head of Investment Operations.