Whineray takes the reins at NZ Super

New Zealand Super has appointed Matt Whineray chief executive, a role he’s been acting in since March.

Whineray joined the organisation 10 years ago as general manager of private markets; since 2014, he has been chief investment officer of the Guardians, the Crown entity charged with managing the investment of the NZ$38 billion NZ Super ($26.3 billion).

Whineray replaces Adrian Orr, the fund’s long-time chief executive who last year became the new governor of the Reserve Bank New Zealand.

NZ Super chair Catherine Savage says Whineray was the stand-out amid a high-quality field of international applicants.

“He has been instrumental in the Guardians’ successes over the last decade and is recognised globally as a leader in institutional investment,” Savage says. “The board has the utmost confidence in his leadership ability, intelligence and integrity.

“The board looks forward to seeing the NZ Super Fund continue to exemplify investment best practice and create value for taxpayers.”

Sponsored Content

In accepting the top role at NZ Super, Whineray thanked the board for its confidence in him and said he was delighted to take the leadership position.

“The NZ Super Fund is one of the most exciting places to work in institutional investment globally and I am looking forward to the challenge immensely,” Whineray says.

Whineray will take on his role in July. A new chief investment officer has not yet been announced.

NZ Super has most of its money invested internationally, with $30 billion in global markets and $5 billion in New Zealand across industries such as agriculture, farming, banking and aged care.

The fund’s one-year return was 20.7 per cent at the end of the 2017 financial year, with 4.37 per cent added above the passive reference portfolio benchmark. The fund’s 10-year return is 8.63 per cent and since inception it has returned 10.22 per cent.

For more stories on New Zealand Super click here 

Leave a Comment

Sort content by

Ag investors release responsible investment principles

A group of eight institutional investors has launched a guiding set of principles for responsible investment in farmland, which forms part of a UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) push to provide practical guidelines for specific asset classes.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Norges Bank forges closer research links

Some of the brightest investment minds gathered recently in Oslo for the first Financial Research Conference, conducted by the asset management arm of Norway’s central bank.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Property survey highlights green stars

The Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) is being actively used by its investor supporters, including PGGM, to make service providers accountable for ESG performance, with the second annual survey finding a larger proportion of managers in the top quadrant this year. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Life’s lessons can be applied to pension reform

The UK’s London Pension Fund Authority issued a green paper this week outlining the key ingredients needed to build a better scheme and its successful implementation by 2015. In all corners of the world building a better pension scheme is on the agenda. What then are some of the universal principles for success that all funds can adopt regardless of geography?

UNPRI looks for new horizons

The UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is focused on expanding into China, India and the Middle East and driving environmental, social and governance (ESG) integration beyond equities and property and into other asset classes, says PRI executive director James Gifford.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Defined benefit still dominates largest funds

Defined benefit funds still dominate the structure of the largest 300 pension funds globally, and this troop of large funds now make up almost half of all pension assets around the world.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Previous