Our committees
UniSuper's committees support and provide direction to the Board to assist in the management and strategic direction of UniSuper.
Consultative Committee
The Consultative Committee is the voice of our members. It reviews and approves changes to the Trust Deed and is responsible for nominating 4 directors to the Board.
Shareholder universities each appoint up to 4 members to the Consultative Committee. Half the members represent the employers, the other half represents, equally, academic staff and professional staff.
Members of the Consultative Committee can log in to the Consultative Committee website for all the latest information, meeting minutes and communications.
Log in to the Consultative Committee website
Board Committees
Our Board Committees consist mainly of directors, who report to each Board meeting.
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Finance and Risk Committee
Chair
- Dr Stephen Weller
Members
- Mr Peter Warne
- Mr Mark Armour
Independent Consultants
- Mr Darren Scammell
Responsibilities
- Reporting financial and regulatory information to users of financial reports
- The internal control system as it relates to key financial and non-financial material risks
- The risk management system and its operation within the context of the Board approved risk appetite
- Monitoring of outsource providers, including the Service Manager
- Compliance with applicable laws, regulations, standards and best practice guidelines
- Monitoring financial information relating to USL, USM and the Fund
- Monitoring adherence to the requirements of the:
i. AIS Agreement
ii. AFS Licence -
People, Remuneration and Nominations Committee
Chair
- Ms Nicole Gower
Members
- Ms Sarah Roberts
- Mr Mark Armour
Responsibilities
The People and Remuneration Committee makes recommendations to the Board on:
- Board remuneration
- total bonus and remuneration pools
- whole-of-company remuneration and reward strategies, policies and frameworks.
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Member Services Committee
Chair
- Professor Sandra Harding
Members
- Mr Michael McNally
Independent non-directors
- Ms Jennifer Lang
Member ex-officio, CEO UniSuper
- Mr Peter Chun
Responsibilities
i. Overseeing services (other than investment management) provided by USM to the Fund as defined in the Administration and Investment Services Agreement in force between USL and USM including, without limitation:
a) Member services and related operations including member online and digital services.
b) Dispute resolution processes.
c) Advice services including, for the avoidance of doubt, seeking assurance from management that all ASFL requirements have been compiled with.
d) Product management.
ii. Insurance management services which include overseeing the insurance management framework and insurance strategy. Monitoring material service providers (as defined by CPS 230 Operational Risk Management)
iii. Monitoring risk management related to the items set out above
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Investment Committee
Chair
- Mr Peter Warne
Members
- Mr Mark Armour
Independent non-director members
- Mr Chris Cuffe
- Mr Tony FitzGerald
- Ms Felicity Gates
Member ex-officio, CEO UniSuper
- Mr Peter Chun
Responsibilities
Invests Fund assets in a manner consistent with the investment objectives set by the Board.
Other responsibilities include:
- investment policy
- investment strategy
- asset allocations
- investment performance
- appointing and monitoring investment managers.
-
Technology and Projects Committee
Chair
- Ms Sarah Roberts
Members
- Ms Amy Griffiths
- Emeritus Professor Sandra Harding
Independent non-director members
- Ms Margaret Wright
- Ms Julie Fahey
Member ex-officio, CEO UniSuper
- Mr Peter Chun
Responsibilities
The Technology and Projects Committee is a committee established to enable the Board to focus on specific technology and project needs of the business.
The Committee assists the Board carry out its role in fulfilling its governance and oversight accountabilities to monitor and, where appropriate, approve the Technology Strategy.
Independent Consultants to Board Committees
Section 29QB Website Disclosure
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Finance and Risk Committee
Darren Scammell B.EC, FCAANZ, GAICD,
Mr Scammell has over 35 years’ experience providing internal and external audit services to financial services organisations. During this period, Mr Scammell served as auditor and risk advisor for both Grant Thornton and KPMG. In March 2018, he retired from KPMG and in July 2018 joined Grant Thornton as an Audit Partner and National Head of Financial Services. Mr Scammell is a specialist in superannuation, investment and commercial banking, insurance, property and funds management.
Mr Scammell's passion for Environment and Social Governance (ESG) and Integrated Reporting led him to be a Grant Thornton service leader in this growing field. As a specialist in ESG and Integrated Reporting he assisted a major industry fund by reviewing and providing recommendations on its Integrated Reporting and sustainability reporting.
Mr Scammell’s extensive experience in internal and external audit roles has helped him establish a primary relationship with Audit Committee Chairs. His experience with Audit Committees includes his role as an advisor to a management audit committee of Equity Trustees Limited and Equity Trustees Wealth Services, both subsidiaries of EQT Holdings Limited.
Mr Scammell is the current Chair of the Advisory Committee to the Deakin University Business School Department of Accounting and was the Chair of the Haileybury school Board Audit and Risk Committee for 13 years.
His professional memberships include Past President and a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Williamson Fellow.
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Member Services Committee
Jennifer Heath Lang, BEc, FIAA, GAICD
Ms Lang is an experienced Actuary having worked for consultants and large corporations in the financial services sector. Ms Lang is a director of Pacific Life Re (Australia), Propel Funeral Partners and in October 2022 was appointed a director of Auto & General Insurance Company Ltd and Medical Insurance Australia Pty Ltd. On 1 April 2023, Ms Lang was appointed director of MDASA Limited.
In her most recent executive role at CommInsure, she held the position of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Actuary for CBA's Life and General Insurance businesses and was responsible for the financial strategy of the businesses.
Prior to her role at CommInsure, Ms Lang was Chief Actuary of NAB Wealth, responsible for the actuarial advice to NAB's wealth businesses, including MLC's insurance and investment businesses.
Ms Lang has also been a Partner at KPMG (where she was head of the Insurance Practice) and Deloitte (where she was a member of the Board of Directors).
At the Actuaries Institute Ms Lang is a member of the Mortality Working Group.
Ms Lang was named 2020 Actuary of the Year for her role in leading the institute's COVID-19 response and in recognition of her major contribution to the profession and the communities in which actuaries work.
Ms Lang is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute of Australia.
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Investment Committee
Anthony (Tony) FitzGerald B.Ec, Fellow of FINSIA
Mr FitzGerald has 45 years’ experience in the financial services sector in banking and asset management. He has extensive international experience, having held senior roles in Australia, Europe, Asia and the US, including Regional Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking - East Asia and Deputy Head, Portfolio Management and Credit Review, Group Management, for Union Bank of Switzerland - in Singapore and Zurich respectively.
He has also held the position of Head of Credit Portfolio Management and Risk Policy with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, was Co-head Global Fixed Interest and Credit at Colonial First State Global Asset Management and was the chair of their Credit Committee. He also served as a director of Teachers Mutual Bank.
Mr FitzGerald has also completed numerous consulting roles as a subject matter expert for the Australian Tax Office, he also served, on a pro bono basis, on the audit and risk committees of the Royal Australian College of Physicians and Médecins Sans Frontières Australia.
Christopher Cuffe AO, BCom, FCA, FFin, FAICD
Mr Cuffe has over 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry and is well regarded for his services to the funds management industry and as an advocate for philanthropy. Until June 2017, Mr Cuffe served as UniSuper’s Chairman and was a member of its Remuneration Committee. Mr Cuffe is a continuing member of UniSuper’s Investment Committee, a position he has held since 2009.
Mr Cuffe holds a number of non-executive directorships in listed investment companies Argo Investments Limited, Global Value Fund Limited and Hearts and Minds Investments Limited (where he is also Chair) as well as being a non-executive director of Keyview Financial Group Pty Ltd (Formerly Realside Financial Group Pty Ltd) and The James Fairfax Foundation. He was previously a director of listed companies Class Limited and Antipodes Global Investment Company Limited as well as Chairman of unlisted investment management company Atrium Investment Management Pty Ltd.
In the not-for-profit sector, Mr Cuffe is the Founder and Chairman of Australian Philanthropic Services Limited, a director of Australian Philanthropic Services Foundation Pty Ltd, a director of Third Link Investment Managers Pty Ltd and a member of the Investment Committee of the Paul Ramsay Foundation.
His former roles include CEO of Colonial First State Investments Limited where he played a major role in building the organisation from a start-up business and CEO of Challenger Financial Services Group Limited.
His professional memberships include Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Fellow of Financial Services Institute of Australasia and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Felicity Gates B.Sc (Hons), MAICD
Ms Gates has over 35 years’ experience in the Investment, Finance, Banking, Energy and Infrastructure sectors and has held many non-executive directorships across several industries in Australia, North America and Europe.
Some of Ms Gates key directorships have been with the Australia Pacific Airports Corporation, Vantage Airport Group, Kelda Group, Itinere Infraestructuras, United Energy, and Epic Energy Group. Some of Ms Gates key past roles have been with Castlebridge Infrastructure as Partner and Chair, Global Co Head of Citi Infrastructure Investors based in New York and Global Chief Investment Officer of RREEF Infrastructure both in Sydney and New York. Ms Gates has been directly involved in infrastructure investment since the mid-1990s having developed NSW State Super’s infrastructure investment portfolio and led their involvement in many landmark Australian deals including the privatisations of United Energy and Melbourne Airport.
Ms Gates is the Chair of the Investment Committee, Northern Territory Local Jobs Fund, a position held since July 2019.
Ms Gates graduated from the University of Queensland having completed a Bachelor of Science degree with Honours in Mathematics. She holds a membership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
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Technology and Projects Committee
Margaret Ann Wright, BComm (Otago), FCA ANZ, MAICD
Ms Wright is an experienced Information Technology professional, having gained extensive and practical experience in accounting, audit and technology risk. Her background in IT coding, implementation, and operations plus a deep understanding of sound business practices including accounting and risk management led her to become the first female partner at KPMG, heading KPMG’s National Information Risk Management Practice (IRM) and later joined the international IRM Committee. During her time on these committees, and with P&L responsibility for the Sydney IRM practice, she was instrumental in significantly increasing revenues and profitability in Sydney and assisting other practices in rolling out new services. During her 12 years as a partner, Ms Wright led risk and implementation reviews for multiple clients including the ASX (CHESS and SEATS), SFE, IAG, TNT, Lendlease, Macquarie Bank and MLC.
As an Executive Director at Macquarie Bank, Ms Wright led technology for several businesses, improving service levels and vendor and client relationships and delivering savings by reducing headcount and budget.
As an independent consultant, Ms Wright had the opportunity to work on major technology transformation programs of large financial services, corporations and government organisations. Some of her past board positions include Director of World Education Australia Limited/Good Return where Ms Wright Chaired the IT and Audit Sub-Committees, the National Breast Cancer Foundation where Ms Wright served on the Audit and Risk and Register Sub-Committees.
As a past Chair of the Observatory Tower Strata Committee, Margaret oversaw major project upgrades for a building valued at several hundred million dollars. In this role she also provided input to Government on several significant legislative changes.
Ms Wright is currently non-executive Chair of OmniTabz Pty Ltd and sits on the Technology Advisory Committee for Good2Give. OmniTabz is an early-stage start-up which provides data communications services for remote and difficult sites in Australia and overseas.
In 2022, Ms Wright authored and facilitated a series of webinars for Directors titled ‘Digital Transformation - Governing the transition’ for the AICD. Ms Wright was a member of the Auditing Standards Board in Australia and a NSW Finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year. After completing a book called ‘Mistakes Happen, where she interviewed top CEOs about the lessons they had learned, she is working on a second book addressing the challenges of Transformation in a fast-evolving world, including the implications (risks and opportunities) of AI.
Julie Fahey, B. App (Mathematics) IMC (Member)
A partner with KPMG for 8 years and with more than 30 years’ experience in the management of largescale transformation programs, implementation of new operating models, and the deployment of new systems, Ms Fahey left the KPMG partnership in 2014 to pursue a corporate board career.
Her current Board portfolio include IRESS, Datacom Group Limited, Australian Red Cross Blood Services and Australian Foundation Investment Company Ltd.
In addition to the above roles, Ms Fahey chairs and is a member on various Board Committees such as the Audit and Risk Committee, the Risk Committee, the Remuneration Committee, and the People and Performance Culture Committee.
Ms Fahey also acts in an advisory role at APA as a member of their ERP Program Steering Committee.