UniSuper invests with Uniseed
UniSuper has invested $75 million into Uniseed – Australia’s longest running venture fund that has first access rights to top research and new technologies coming out of Australia’s most prestigious universities.
Uniseed’s Chief Executive Officer Peter Devine said that UniSuper’s investment will unlock more engagement with Australia’s growing innovation and start-up sector.
“This is a further step Uniseed is taking to facilitate commercialisation of Australian research. Today’s emergent start-ups are tomorrow’s tech and health giants, and with funding from UniSuper we are able to get in at the very early stages of these journeys.”
Aware Super’s Debra Mika to retire
Aware Super has announced that Chief of Staff Debra Mika will retire in mid-July this year.
Mika initially joined Aware Super as a member of the Health Super team. Together with the Chief Operating Officer of Health Super, she led the Health Super side of the merger to join with First State Super in July 2011. Since then, she has had a variety of roles based in Melbourne and led or been an active participant in strategic pieces of work for the fund including the insourcing the member service centre in 2014, and the program of work to integrate with StatePlus post-acquisition from 2016. Also, from the First State Super side, leading the program of work for the merger with VicSuper.
Mika became Chief of Staff in 2020 and, prior to the appointment of Steve Travis in October 2021, she was the Acting Group Executive Member Growth. She remains Director and Deputy Chair of the Women’s Property Initiatives.
Aware CEO Deanne Stewart wishes her well saying: “Whilst Aware Super will be losing an outstanding executive and a wonderful, much respected colleague, I am delighted for Deb that she will be moving to enjoy this next phase of her life…”
SuperFriend CEO Margo Lydon steps down
SuperFriend has announced the departure of its Chief Executive Officer, Margo Lydon, effective from 14th April 2022.
Lydon has led the workplace wellbeing not-for-profit organisation SuperFriend for since June 2010, creating positive change in mental health and suicide prevention in Australia.
Under her leadership, SuperFriend has created innovative solutions, influenced national policy agendas and led the development of the Indicators of a Thriving Workplace Survey, Australia’s largest workplace survey completed by over 10,000 employees annually.
Lydon will remain connected to SuperFriend as their Chief Mental Health Advisor until mid-August.
Dina Goebel, SuperFriend’s General Manager of Strategy and Innovation, is the acting Chief Executive Officer until the appointment of a new CEO.
ASFA remembers Ray Stevens
ASFA was saddened to learn that ASFA Life Member Ray Stevens passed away on Thursday 6 January at age 84.
He was a former Federal President and a much-loved member of the Victorian ASFA community.
Ray also made himself available to comment on a wide range of ASFA submissions and regularly represented ASFA in Canberra attending meetings with Centrelink, the ATO and other related government bodies. His opinions were widely sought after by leading journalists.
Ray was admitted as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 1964. He gave generously of his time to the profession as a Member of the Ageing Australia Taskforce and Superannuation Projections and Disclosure Subcommittee. Ray received the Actuary of the Year Award in 1990.
He will be remembered as an actuary with a great sense of humour, a quiet achiever, a huge supporter of ASFA, and an “all-round great guy”.
