Future Fund
Australia's Future Fund appoints new CIO
Australia’s Future Fund has promoted Ben Samild to CIO, filling a vacancy created more than a year ago with the departure of Sue Brake.
Australia's Future Fund recruits ex-Carlyle dealmaker as PE head
Future Fund has recruited David Bluff, who stepped down last year as The Carlyle Group’s Australia and New Zealand buyout head, to lead its private equity investment programme.
GPs double down on value creation to maintain returns - AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors must find more operational levers to pull as LPs seek the same if not higher returns from the asset class despite more challenging economic conditions.
Australia's Future Fund posts loss in 2022
Australia’s Future Fund posted a 3.7% loss for the 2022 calendar year amid rising inflation and volatility in public markets – with Peter Costello, the fund’s chairman, warning of further challenges to come.
Australia VC player Blackbird closes $647m fund
Blackbird Ventures has raised AUD 1bn (USD 647m) for its latest fund, which will invest in “generational” technology companies in Australia and New Zealand. It is the largest ever VC fund raised by an Australia-based manager.
Quadrant spins Australia car services business into continuation fund
Quadrant Private Equity has closed a AUD 255m (USD 165m) single asset continuation fund for MotorOne, an Australia-based automotive after-market services provider it has owned since 2016.
Future Fund promotes private equity head to deputy CIO
Alicia Gregory, head of private equity at Australia’s Future Fund, has been promoted to deputy CIO with responsibility for private markets.
Diversity & inclusion: Acting with intent
GPs are looking to build teams representing different genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds as stakeholders call for more diversity and studies suggest it leads to better decision making
Virtual reporting: Lost in translation
GP-LP reporting in the age of remote portfolio assessments and stilted video catchups leaves much to be desired. Both sides are trying to bridge the divide, but no best-practice approach has emerged
Australia institutional investors buy 49% in Telstra's towers unit
Future Fund, Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, and Sunsuper have agreed to buy a 49% interest in Telstra’s Australian mobile tower network at a valuation of A$5.9 billion ($4.4 billion).
China's Tuya completes $915m IPO, gains on debut
Tuya, a Chinese start-up that claims to be the world’s largest platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provider in terms of number of smart devices powered, raised $915.4 million in its US IPO. The offering was priced above the indicative range yet still registered...
Rocket Lab to go public via SPAC merger
Rocket Lab, a US-based space technology company that operates primarily in New Zealand, as agreed to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an enterprise valuation of $4.1 billion.
Future Fund names new CIO, hires PE executive from Navis
Australia’s Future Fund has appointed Sue Brake as its new CIO and brought in Kelvin Mak, formerly of Navis Capital Partners, as a director in the private equity team.
Large LPs willing to explore riskier growth options – AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors looking to diversify their growth portfolios are increasingly turning to technology and emerging managers, the AVCJ Forum heard.
Asset allocation: So long, silo?
The total portfolio approach remains on the margins of asset management. Advocates of the model hope LPs will reconsider as they look for alpha beyond the areas where they normally find it
Asia fundraising: Be prepared
LPs are becoming more flexible in their due diligence, in certain cases backing managers where there has been no face-to-face interaction, but COVID-19 has underlined the importance of pre-fundraise engagement
Japanese LPs stress importance of consistent deployment - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors must maintain a reasonable pace of deployment in alternatives despite the coronavirus pandemic fostering economic uncertainty and hindering efforts to perform due diligence on managers, the AVCJ Japan Virtual Forum heard.
Subscription credit: Fine lines
Increased standardization on disclosure has improved the visibility LPs have into how private equity firms are using subscription credit lines, but they must be mindful of attempts to loosen terms.
Australia's Future Fund posts negative return, sells part of PE portfolio
Future Fund has posted its first yearly negative return since the global financial crisis, amid economic chaos caused by COVID-19, and rebalanced its private equity portfolio as part of efforts to avoid “excessive risk.”
Australia's Blackbird raises $357m for fourth fund
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has raised A$500 million ($357 million) for its fourth fund and named Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes as chairman.
LPs call for better communication from Asian GPs - AVCJ Forum
LPs from five global funds say cultural issues and a relative lack of crisis experience have led to difficulties getting quality disclosure from Asian fund managers.
Raphael Arndt becomes CEO of Australia's Future Fund
Raphael Arndt has been appointed CEO of Australia’s Future Fund, succeeding David Neal, who departed earlier this year to lead IFM Investors.
Australia's IFM poaches Future Fund CEO
David Neal, who has spent the last six years as CEO of Australia’s Future Fund, will succeed Brett Himbury as head of IFM Investors.
LPs and secondaries: Subliminal stimulation
Global economic and political themes are exerting an almost invisible undertow on LP participation in the secondaries market. The boom in Asia will be touched but not redirected