HESTA names new CIO

Sonya Sawtell-Rickson
SONYA SAWTELL-RICKSON
HESTA - Chief Investment Officer
DEPARTURE
QIC LIMITED
Date: July 2017
Position: Investment Director
APPOINTMENT
HESTA
Date: July 2017
Position: Chief Investment Officer

HESTA has announced the appointment of Sonya Sawtell-Rickson as the fund's new chief investment officer (CIO), effective 24 July 2017.

In this role, Sawtell-Rickson will manage a global portfolio of assets of more than $37 billion and will have oversight over HESTA's total portfolio of investments.

Sawtell-Rickson has more than 16 years' investment experience and will join from Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC), where she is an investment director in the firm's global multi-asset team. Prior to this, she was GM, investment services at QSuper.

Commenting on her appointment, HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said: "We're delighted that Sonya will lead HESTA's investment team in the exciting next chapter of its development that will involve building on our past investment success, and implementing a new five-year investment strategy."

Sawtell-Rickson added: "HESTA members spend their careers caring for others and it's a privilege to be able to make a contribution to improving their retirement outcomes by delivering strong, sustainable, long-term investment performance...I look forward to working with the HESTA team to continue to achieve the Fund's ambitious investment objectives."

She replaces former CIO Rob Fowler, who stepped into the newly-created position of executive - investment execution in January, in line with HESTA's new investment strategy.