UniSuper appoints new chief risk officer
UniSuper has announced the appointment of Andrew Raftis as chief risk officer, to lead UniSuper’s Risk and Assurance team.
His appointment follows 20 years working internationally with AXA, AIG (American Insurance Group) and Zurich in roles including chief risk officer, chief auditor and chief compliance officer. In 2018 he returned home to Melbourne, working on several boards and advisory committees, including the AMP Employer Sponsored Superannuation Plan Policy Committee.
Commenting on the appointment, Kevin O’Sullivan, chief executive officer said: “I’m delighted to welcome Andrew to UniSuper. He brings with him a wealth of international and domestic risk management and assurance experience; and a track record for developing leading edge best practices in risk, compliance and control functions. He will be a valuable asset to the team.”
Rest appoints new CIO
Rest has appointed Andrew Lill as chief investment officer.
Lill joins Rest from Morningstar Investment Management where he has been the chief investment officer of their US$25-billion Americas mutual fund and managed portfolios operations since 2018, based in Chicago. An Australian citizen, Lill will return to Australia to start the role on 17 August
“The appointment of our first chief investment officer for the whole fund is the culmination of more than 12 months’ work to refine our investment structure and governance and position the fund for further growth,” said Rest chief executive officer Vicki Doyle.
“Andrew’s experience and expertise will be a valued addition to Rest. We are well placed to pursue attractively priced assets in investment markets on behalf of our members as a result of our active management approach.”
Rest’s interim chief investment officer George Zielinski will continue at Rest until the end of August, whereupon he will retire.
“George has been with Rest since 1997 and has made an enormous contribution to the fund,” said Doyle.
Simon Esposito will continue as Rest’s deputy chief investment officer and will support Lill as he transitions into the role.
HESTA announces new head of portfolio design
Stephanie Weston has been appointed HESTA’s first head of portfolio design.
Chief investment officer (CIO) Sonya Sawtell-Rickson said the highly anticipated appointment was a crucial step in the fund’s push to build new teams and capabilities for direct management of a growing, significant pool of assets.
Reporting directly to the CIO, Weston will focus on the ‘top down’ aspects of HESTA’s portfolios, including construction and risk analysis, economic and market research, and strategic tilting.
HESTA chief executive officer Debby Blakey said she was delighted to have Weston join the team.
“I am very excited to be joining Debby, Sonya and the team at HESTA. The current investment environment is challenging; so it is the right time to be focussing on overall portfolio design, and thinking about how to optimise risk-adjusted returns,” Weston said.
