A team you can rely on

Our members have trusted us with their life savings for over 40 years. We understand the responsibility we have in investing their money for a better retirement.

Having an internal investment team with expertise across a range of assets classes means we’re close to what’s happening in financial markets. This allows us to move quickly to take advantage of opportunities. Where it makes sense to do so, we may choose external investment managers to manage assets.

Benefits of an in-house investment team

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Low fees

Reduces costs and helps keep fees low.
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Monitoring

Enables us to closely monitor and manage assets.
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Direct access

Direct access to the directors and management of our major Australian holdings.
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Opportunity

Quickly act on investment opportunities.

UniSuper was one of the first super funds in Australia to build a dedicated in-house investment team.

Having an experienced internal team helps us keep fees low. Learn more about our low superannuation fees.

Over time, low fees can contribute to greater retirement outcomes for our members.

There’s a lot to love about having over 70% of our funds managed in-house, other benefits include:

  • being able to design and manage investment options for our members
  • having direct access to directors and management of our major investments. This enables us to talk directly with them on a range of issues, such as environmental, social, and governance practices
  • enabling us to quickly take advantage of investment opportunities that other funds may miss.

What do we invest in?

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Shares 

Shares in listed Australian and international companies.
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Cash & Fixed Interest

Investments in government and corporate bonds, and cash markets.
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Infrastructure & Private Equity

Investments in unlisted assets like airports, roads and timber plantations.
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Property

Real estate assets such as shopping centres, office buildings and industrial sites.

Stay up-to-date with our latest transactions by viewing our news and insights page.


Our investment leadership team

Our in-house investment team are responsible for investing and managing our members’ life savings. Meet the team making investment decisions with the best interests of our members in mind.
John Pearce
Chief Investment Officer (CIO)

John has been UniSuper’s Chief Investment Officer since July 2009. He has over 30 years’ experience in financial services.

John’s previous positions included being the Head of Global Asset Management for Ping An which is China's second largest insurance company (2007-2009). John was also the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Investments at Colonial First State (2000-2007).

Dharmendra Dayabhai
Head of Portfolio Analysis and Implementation

Dharmendra joined UniSuper in 2002 and leads our portfolio analysis, reporting and implementation team.

He has a wide experience in financial services and his previous positions have included being the Head of Investment Performance at National Australia Bank, Manager Investment Products at AXA Asset Management, and Senior Manager at Colonial Investment Management (NZ) and Tower Corporation.

Penny Heard
Head of Australian Equities

Penny joined UniSuper in 2019 and leads our listed Australian equities strategy.

Penny brings over 20 years’ investment experience. Her previous positions have included being the Head of Global Equities and Quant Investment Strategy at UniSuper in 2019 and senior roles with JCP Investment Partners, Bank of America, and Merrill Lynch Australia and Hong Kong.

Lou Capparelli
Head of ESG

Lou is responsible for UniSuper’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approach. He joined UniSuper in 2015 covering domestic and international equities and in 2019 he joined the ESG team.

Lou has over 25 years’ experience in financial markets. Prior to joining UniSuper, he was Head of Research at Evans & Partners and he previously held senior roles with BlackRock Investment Management and Goldman Sachs. Lou began his career at Freehills, where he qualified as a solicitor.

David Colosimo
Acting Head of Fixed Interest and Macro Research

David has worked at UniSuper since 2013, managing UniSuper’s fixed interest, hybrid and cash portfolios. He is a senior member of the fixed interest and macro research team and involved in UniSuper’s asset allocation process.

Prior to joining UniSuper, David was an Economist at Goldman Sachs and ANZ where he researched and advised clients on Australian and global macroeconomic trends. David holds a combined BCom (Hons) and BSc degree from the University of Melbourne and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Sandra Lee
Head of Private Markets

Sandra joined UniSuper in 2008 and leads our private markets strategy covering infrastructure and private equity.

Sandra has over 25 years’ experience in infrastructure and transactional management across the transportation, utilities, timberlands, public private partnerships and telecommunications sectors in Australia and globally.

Kent Robbins
Head of Property

Kent joined UniSuper in 2009 and leads our property team.

He brings over 30 years’ experience across the investment and superannuation sector and has led the repositioning and growth of UniSuper’s direct property and infrastructure portfolios over the past decade.

Thomas Tam
Head of Global Equities

Tommy joined UniSuper in 2005 and leads our global equities and quant investment strategy.

He has wide experience across a range of strategies including listed equities, infrastructure and private equity and research coverage of the Technology and Health Care sectors.

Tommy also manages UniSuper’s Global Companies in Asia portfolio.

Tony Macafee
Head of Investments Legal

Tony was appointed Head of Investments Legal in October 2023.

Since joining UniSuper in 2018, Tony has worked on major transactions for some of our largest infrastructure and property assets including our investment in Transurban Chesapeake LLC USA, Sydney Airport privatisation, and the acquisition of the AMP Capital Retail Trust.

Tony has over 20 years of experience with a focus on corporate, funds and financial services, and investment law, he was previously the Head of Legal for EquipSuper and a Partner at both DLA Piper and Hall & Wilcox.

Learn more about investments

External Investment Managers
Our external investment managers are chosen for their expertise and investment track record.* The external team complements our in-house team.
Member choice

We offer three sustainable and environmental branded options.1

Investment update with John Pearce
Chief Investment Officer John Pearce provides an overview of the investment environment and investment performance.
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