2015 Industry Moves Overview - women close the gap on board appointments

People on the Move

In our analysis of over 1000 reported moves added to the Industry Moves online database in 2015, we found an 11% increase in reported appointments since 2014 and a 37% increase since 2013. While this may well be due to the increasing popularity of Industry Moves as a reporting tool, one statistic stands up to scrutiny - the percentage of women awarded board appointments in 2015. The gap was nearly closed with 47% new female appointees in 2015, compared to 35% in 2014 and 28% in 2013.

Snapshot Jan - December 2015

1049............Reported Moves
631...............Appointments (27% female/ 73% male)
64.................Board Appointments (47% female/ 53% male)
223..............Departures (44 female/179 male)
33................ Board Departures (27% female/ 73% male)
757..............Number of people
300...............Organisations involved
July...............Month of most appointments
April.............Month of most departures

Number of Moves - Comparison 2013-2015

Board Positions - Comparison 2013-2015

Some of the top jobs that went to women in 2015

Suzanne Branton New GM Investments at CareSuper
Former Equipsuper portfolio manager, Suzanne Branton, joined CareSuper as the new GM of investments replacing Greg Nolan who took a step down from the top job and moved into a part-time role.
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Debby Blakey HESTA names new CEO
In February, Debby Blakey was appointed as HESTA's new chief executive officer. Blakey was previously the deputy to long-serving chief executive Anne-Marie Corboy, who left the fund at the beginning of 2015 after 16 years in the top job.
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Maran Azar J.P. Morgan names new Head of Product
Marian Azer was appointed J.P. Morgan's head of product for investor services for Australia and NZ in March, replacing David Braga who left in February for a role at BNP Paribas
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Eliza Weaving EQT appoints GM of Funds Management
Equity Trustees promoted Eliza Weaving to the role of general manager, distribution partners - funds management, replacing David Myers who left for EQT client, Pan-Tribal.
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Christine Maher Energy Super appoints first independent director
Industry super fund Energy Super appointed Brisbane lawyer Christine Maher as its first independent director. Maher, a partner of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, was also the first female director to join Energy Super's current board line-up.
See Move Details

Jo Townsend Funds SA names new CEO
In April, Funds SA announced the appointment of Jo Townsend as CEO. Townsend replaced former Funds SA CEO Richard Smith who retired at the beginning of 2015.
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Jenni Mack Jenni Mack joins the board of Sunsuper
In June, Jenni Mack, best known in the industry for her previous role as chair of Australia's biggest consumer advocacy group Choice, joined the board of Sunsuper as the fund's first independent director.
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Elana Rubin Elana Rubin joins the board of VFMC
In August, Elana Rubin, former AustralianSuper chair, joined the board of Victorian Funds Management Corporation..
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With historical information dating back to July 2012, the Industry Moves online database now includes more than 3,315 executive and board appointments and departures relating to 2,004 people moving between 538 organisations.

You can search for a complete list of any appointments and/or departures in a given month using the dropdown boxes on the Moves page.

For example, select January 2016 and Appointments only to see the list of 19 moves reported so far this month. Click here to view!

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