ART makes 3 senior leadership appointments

Ahead of the 18-month mark since the merger of Sunsuper and QSuper, the Australian Retirement Trust (ART) has expanded its leadership team to welcome a new chief member officer; chief of staff; and executive general manager for advice, guidance, and education.

The internal appointments followed a senior management restructure in March that saw the departure of ART’s chief strategy officer, Teifi Whatley, and chief member officer, Karin Muller.

Muller’s role would now be taken up by Lachlan East, who would be responsible for the fund’s member operations portfolio, member service experience, and anticipating and advocating future member needs.

He had over 25 years of experience in investment banking, wealth management, and superannuation and had been with ART (previously Sunsuper) for more than 10 years as chief risk officer and most recently chief of staff. 
Prior to that, he held a range of senior leadership roles at Credit Suisse, Barclays Investment Bank, and Linc Energy.

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East is currently acting chief of retirement, overseeing the establishment of ART’s retirement division, and an announcement on who would take up the role permanently is expected in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the fund’s general manager, member engagement, Julie Bingham, was appointed chief of staff. She had spent the last six years at ART (previously QSuper). 

She has over two decades of experience in financial services, having worked with firms like Bupa, the Australian Tax Office, and First State Super. 

Anne Fuchs was named ART’s new executive general manager for advice, guidance, and education. In this role, she would be responsible for championing financial advice across ART, seeking to influence and shape the advice industry, and ensure financial advice is accessible for all members.

The role marked an ongoing strategic commitment to the external financial adviser market and focus on financial advice, ART said. 

Fuchs had been the head of advice, guidance, and education at ART (previously Sunsuper) for the last eight years and was previously with the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA), Pinnacle Practice, ING Australia, and Bankers Trust. 

All appointments would take effect from 1 July 2023.

“As key members of the fund’s wider leadership team, these roles are integral to delivering on Australian Retirement Trust’s ambition to empower our 2.2 million members across Australia to retire well with confidence,” said Bernard Reilly, ART chief executive.

“These appointments are also evidence of the calibre of amazing internal talent we have at Australian Retirement Trust.”