05 May 2016
We’re thrilled to announce that we were last night named Super Fund of the Year by leading ratings agency Chant West for the second year in a row – something no other fund has been able to do.
This top honour is just the latest accolade for UniSuper, coming hot on the heels of being named Conexus Super Fund of the Year in March, and is testament to our single-minded focus on delivering greater retirement outcomes for our members.
Our Chief Executive Officer, Kevin O’Sullivan, collected the award last night.
“We’re incredibly proud to be named Super Fund of the Year for the second year in a row,” he said.
“This award recognises first-class performance in everything we deliver from investment returns and fees, to products and services. Ultimately, what matters most to our members is not the awards we’ve won, but what’s in their pocket come retirement. With the formidable combination of top investment performance and low fees there is no doubt that we deliver outstanding value for money to our members.”
As organisations like Chant West and Conexus have recognised, and as our members experience every day, the value we deliver goes far beyond dollars in retirement. Our members have access to some of the best advice, education and services through our award-winning website, contact centre, national advice network and on-campus support.
In considering these awards, Chant West looked at more than 400 Australian super funds, including all of the leading names in the industry. The Super Fund of the Year recognises excellence across investments, member services, fees, insurance, administration and organisational strengths.
Chant West made particular mention of UniSuper’s focus on retirement adequacy and our website was singled-out as being more consumer-friendly and including on-demand webinars, videos and interactive elements.
Chant West also highlighted the considerable board and management talent, particularly when it comes to investment management.
“UniSuper has a different model to many other funds with much of its assets managed internally by seasoned investment professionals who have managed money at other fund managers. And its performance is strong over all periods,” said Chant West Director Warren Chant.
“If you look at its management and Board, it is dominated by those who have been very successful in the retail space, which is a very tough arena to shine. People like [independent directors] Chris Cuffe, Ian Martin and Nicolette Rubinzstein are on the Board and Kevin O’Sullivan and John Pearce on the management team.”
Chant West recently ranked UniSuper’s Balanced option as among the top ten for lowest fees – with the Balanced option placing second, eighth and 10th out of the 100 largest super funds in Australia for balances of $250,000, $50,000 and $25,000 respectively.
Chant West’s investment performance survey shows UniSuper’s flagship Balanced Option has delivered top quartile returns over 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 year reporting periods to 31 December 2015.
In the past year UniSuper has also won the 2015 Chant West Best Fund: Investments, the Consumer Choice Award, Pension Deluxe Choice Award and Chief Operating Officer of the Year, as part of the 2015 Rainmaker Selecting Super Awards. One of its trustee directors was awarded Trustee Director of the Year in the 2015 Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees Awards for Excellence and two staff members took out Women in Financial Services Awards.
UniSuper was one of a shortlist of finalists in the 2016 Chant West Awards for Pension Fund of the Year, Best Fund: Investments, Best Fund: Insurance and Best Fund: Member Services.
Note: Past performance is not an indicator of future performance. This information is of a general nature only and may include general advice. It has been prepared without taking into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. UniSuper’s investment strategies will not necessarily be appropriate for other investors. Before making any decision in relation to your UniSuper membership, you should consider your personal circumstances, the relevant product disclosure statement for your membership category and whether to consult a licensed financial adviser. This information is current as at 5 May 2016.