Responsible investment specialist moves on from VicSuper ahead of merger

Responsible investment portfolio manager Kim Farrant has left VicSuper ahead of the fund's expected merger with First State Super. She has joined Hostplus as head of ESG.

A spokesperson for VicSuper confirmed the resignation and wished Farrant well.

Farrant joined VicSuper in 2017 from EY where she was the director of climate change and sustainability services. She spent several years with management consultant Net Balance, advancing to an associate director. She also spent more than four years as a structural engineer with Kellog Brown & Root.

Because VicSuper is expecting to complete their merger with First State Super in mid-2020, Farrant's role is not expected to be filled. According to a statement to Industry Moves, "First State Super and VicSuper are strongly aligned in our approach to RI, and the investments team is working closely with Liza McDonald, the Head of Responsible Investment at First State Super to share information on how the two funds can work effectively together in the RI space when we merge.

"Due to Kim's work in her role as Responsible Investment Portfolio Manager at VicSuper, our Fund is well ahead of our ambitious target of having $3B invested in investments that contribute to sustainable outcomes by mid-2020 and well set up to deliver for our members."

At the end of 2019, VicSuper had more than $25 billion invested on behalf of 248,000 members.

Hostplus CEO, David Elia, said of the appointment, "Kim is a very experienced practitioner, having 15 years' experience as a responsible investment and sustainability professional, combining technical expertise in ESG issues; a commercially minded approach to implementation; and strong engagement and communication skills."