Damian Lillicrap exits Australian Retirement Trust

Damian Lillicrap, ART's head of strategy for the QSuper portfolios, will depart the fund after 13 years.

His departure follows the appointment of Andrew Fisher as head of the investment strategy for both the super savings and QSuper portfolios.

The $220 billion superannuation fund said Lillicrap has chosen to pursue other opportunities.

ART investment chief Ian Patrick added that Lillicrap's contribution to ART and its members will leave a lasting legacy.

"Damian was a founding member of the QSuper investment strategy team and has been instrumental in its outcomes for over a decade," he stated.

"During that time, Damian and his team demonstrated courageous innovation by pioneering a risk-aware approach within the Australian superannuation context both at portfolio and asset class level.

"He has built a strong capability around him and has been a committed team member."

Patrick acknowledged Lillicrap's contribution and thanked him on behalf of everyone at ART.

In a LinkedIn post, the outgoing executive wrote: "Interesting times ahead for the global economy ... and interesting times for me as I step away from ART/QSuper, destination to be decided."

ART also said it will hire a head of investment resilience and planning role to the leadership team to test the fund's portfolios and capabilities.

This role will be advertised next week.

Meanwhile, the fund's investment leadership sees Charles Woodhouse continue as deputy investment chief, with Herbert Chang as head of capital markets.

Nicole Bradford will oversee ART's sustainable investment, and Michael Weaver will run global real assets.

Elizabeth Kumaru remains head of private corporate assets, with Greg Barnes as head of public markets.