Federation Asset Management, one of Australia’s leading private markets investment managers, has announced two key appointments to address the rising demand for alternative investments.
The firm has appointed Rebecca Thomas as Investment Director and Head of Responsible Investments, while Tahlia Rozis joins as Business Development Manager.
The appointments follow a period of strong growth for Federation, led by investor activity across Asia, the launch of a new long-duration energy storage platform and continued enhancements to the Federation Alternative Investments II Fund.
Rebecca Thomas will oversee the integration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations across all of Federation’s investment strategies.
“Responsible investment shouldn’t sit on the sidelines but needs to be embedded into how capital is allocated, how investments are managed and how we create long-term value,” Thomas said. “Federation has built a strong track record of disciplined investing, and I am excited to help deepen the rigour of ESG across the portfolio.”
Prior to joining Federation, Thomas led the Impact Investing team at Social Ventures Australia, one of the country’s earliest and most established institutional social impact investment managers. Her background covers debt capital markets, advisory and investment management across Barclays Capital, Lloyds Banking Group and GE Capital in Europe and Australia.
Tahlia Rozis brings nearly a decade of experience in funds management and platform distribution and will be responsible for adviser engagement and distribution across Federation’s investment strategies.
“There is a growing appetite among advisers, platforms and family offices for alternative investments that offer diversification and growth,” Rozis said. “Federation is uniquely positioned with its specialist private markets capability, and I look forward to helping more investors access these opportunities.”
Her previous sales roles include positions at Colonial First State, Implemented Portfolios and Perpetual Investments.
Federation CEO Cameron Brownjohn said the appointments come at a pivotal time as investor demand reshapes the private equity proposition.
“There is a lot of potential in certain sectors of the market which will create opportunities heading into 2026,” Brownjohn said. “Three key macro trends driving demand for private capital are, in our opinion, sustainable energy, digitisation of the economy and an ageing population.”
Within sustainable energy, Federation is expanding with the creation of a new long duration energy storage platform, Ascera Energy.
Brownjohn said private equity’s increasing accessibility is drawing in a wider cohort of investors.
“The adviser led market and family offices are increasingly drawn to semi-liquid private equity products offered by managers like us. These products provide a level of liquidity that appeals to a specific segment of client portfolios.”