Insights

As markets continue to digest the potential impacts of coronavirus on global economies, it should come as no surprise that there were few product launches in February as investment managers stood back. So, last month we took the opportunity to look at some recent product trends.

He’s even less of a fan when those CEOs underperform or are involved in malfeasance and still get a big payday.

When a scandal breaks in any business, there needs to be a process to mitigate the damage preventing compounding damage to the organisation’s brand.

The amount of women on ASX 200 boards has decreased. Is that a bad thing? Is there actually a demonstrable benefit to having diversity in your organisation?

It’s been just over a week since we announced the acquisition Industry Moves, and I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and give you a sense of where we’re going in the coming months.

Publisher Michelle Baltazar says the FS Power 50 focuses on those who are not only providing exceptional service but also shaping the future of the industry. “The findings from the Royal Commission put into sharp focus what needs urgent fixing within the industry. On top of that, the largest shift in generational wealth is about to take place in the next decade.“

Our interviewees constantly surprise us, particularly with their answers to 'what’s something most people wouldn’t know about you’. We’ve discovered stories of romance, murder (kinda), sliding door professions and time spent on the inside. We've also uncovered musicians, actors, pilots, UN negotiators, and a key account manager that's been published by NATO!

How many appointments and departures were reported for the first three quarters of the year compared to the last four years? What percentage of those appointments were secured by women and how many were awarded internally? We analyse the last five years' data in Industry Moves' vault of over 8,250 moves to find out. We also highlight the move, Q&A and Insight piece that most grabbed your attention.

So far this year, Industry Moves has reported on five new super fund CEO appointments. With the increasing number of merger discussions underway in the sector, more appointments like the joint Equip/Catholic Super CEO role awarded to Scott Cameron are to be expected. For now, we shine a spotlight on this year's new appointees and take a look back at our historical data to bring you a list of those individuals, 27% of them women, who have secured CEO roles at 26 of Australia’s super funds since 2015.

With the benefit of hindsight (and the mastery of time travel), what advice would you give to your younger self?
It's a question we love to ask our weekly interviewees and their answers are often funny, mostly encouraging, and invariably wise.
We've compiled for you some of our favourites from the last few months.

Libby (right) and Lynne, who first met in the grounds of their daughters' primary school, have been job-sharing the role of senior team assistant for Mercer’s Helpline team for more than a decade. With their skills, commitment, loyalty and sense of fun, they might just be the best job-sharing duo ever to have shared a role! After hearing from their colleagues, we don't doubt it for a second.

It is estimated that 16 per cent of all women are impacted by financial abuse at some point in their lives, according to Industry Fund Services finance manager, Natalie Lister.

Liz Williams, a quiet achiever who is excelling in her chosen field, joined global investment manager Nuveen's Australian office in 2014 before jumping at the chance to transfer to the London team in 2017. She now manages and oversees all the firm's events across EMEA and the Asia Pacific with a cool head, positive nature and the kind of intense organisation skills that don't go unnoticed by colleagues.

First State Super chief executive officer Deanne Stewart was this week appointed as a Workplace Gender Equality Agency Pay Equity Ambassador. She joins a network of 158 high profile CEOs, heads of departments, and directors in the public and private sector who have committed to analysing their pay data at least once every two years, to address gender pay discrepancies and to advocate for action to support workplace gender equality.

Reported appointments by Industry Moves for the first half of 2019 decreased by 14%, with 348 moves compared to 442 for the same period in 2018, with our research covering the appointments of 189 organisations compared to 224 last year. 33% of board appointments and 28% of executive appointments were awarded to women. Though the gender balance for executive appointments shows an upward trend over the last 5 years, the data revealed a slight drop from the first quarter results of 2019 which saw the highest percentage of female executive appointments for any quarter in the last five years, hitting 32%.

His career adviser may have had different ideas, but working in the finance industry was in Ryder Harris' blood. Now, in his role as an operations supervisor for Janus Henderson, with responsibilities across fund and investment operations, he's found the perfect role to match his perfectionism, enthusiasm and drive. We hear from Ryder's colleagues about his particular style, and from Ryder about what makes him tick.

Our childhood experiences - the places we grow up, the people in our lives, the things we do - undoubtedly influence who we become. At Industry Moves, through our series of Q&As, we have loved getting to know the personalities of the high achieving women in finance, and found their reflections on their formative years a particular highlight.

This week we are singing the praises of Amanda Richman, an ethics analyst (with a wry and fabulous sense of humour) at Australian Ethical Investment, who worked as a commercial lawyer before deciding she needed to be in a role where she could have the most impact on addressing issues of injustice and climate change. We hear from her colleagues on what makes her approach so special, and Amanda on why she hasn't looked back.

The number of listed products on the Australian Stock Exchange continues to grow, with two more being added in May. The ASX says there are now 194 exchange traded products listed on the ASX with $47.66 billion in funds under management.

In the lead-up to the annual World Business Forum to be held in Sydney this month, Industry Moves talks to featured speaker, Charlene Li. As founder and CEO of Altimeter Group and an expert on social media and technologies, Charlene tells Industry Moves about the importance of sharing in the digital age and the metamorphosis required to be a true digital leader. She also shares a little about her upbringing and how it shaped her drive, as well as a story that proves her interest in 'disruption' is not just limited to technology.