Equip Super makes senior appointments amid recession fears

Equip Super has announced three senior appointments as its navigates the turbulent market environment.

The fund said it believed a recession was on the horizon so was keenly focused on diversifying its assets.

“With central banks around the world determined to bring inflation under control, even at the expense of economic prosperity, we believe it’s not a matter of if there will be a recession, but when," said chief executive Andrew Howard.

Effective from 3 October, Alister Wong would join as a senior portfolio manager for defensive assets and alternatives and Manish Utreja would join as senior portfolio manager for alternatives.

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Wong was formerly head of investments at Australia Post Superannuation Scheme and Utreja was head of alternatives at Insignia Financial.

Jessie Pettigrew was also appointed as head of responsible investments. She was formerly head of ESG and sustainability at BT Financial Group.

Equip chief investment officer, Andrew Howard, said: “We are thrilled to be able to attract the calibre of these seasoned investment professionals to the Equip team.

“Jessie, Alister and Manish hold considerable experience that will complement the skill sets of our current team.” 

Equip also made several internal promotions with Darren Rosario promoted to deputy chief investment officer, Libby Sparshatt to head of asset management and Stephen Austen to head of investment operations.

Commenting on the fund's outlook, Howard said: "At the forefront of our investment strategy is a strong focus on diversification. We believe asset allocation is the most valuable tool in our investment tool kit to effectively combat ongoing volatility in markets and ensure we deliver attractive risk adjusted returns to our members. 

“Super funds need a team of investment professionals that can provide members with confidence that they are in safe hands. We believe our strengthened investment team can do just that.”