Måns Carlsson

Ausbil Investment Management Limited (Ausbil) has announced the launch of the Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity Fund (Fund) as an exchange‑traded fund (ETF), expanding investor access to Ausbil’s established sustainable investment capability through the convenience and liquidity of the ASX.

ASUS provides exposure to an actively managed portfolio of predominantly Australian‑listed equities, selected primarily from the S&P/ASX 200 Index, that meet Ausbil’s sustainability approach. ASUS aims to deliver consistent, risk‑controlled outperformance of its benchmark over the long term. It generally holds between 30‑45 Australian‑listed companies and seeks to identify opportunities across market cycles and conditions.

Måns Carlsson OAM, Head of ESG and Co‑Portfolio manager, said the launch reflects the growing demand for sustainable investment solutions that go beyond exclusion screens.

“ASUS brings our active, research‑driven approach to sustainability to the ASX AQUA market, giving investors easier access to a portfolio built around companies which Ausbil believe have relatively good sustainability profiles and are ranked highly by Ausbil on ESG and positioned for long term growth. We believe ESG factors can be a powerful driver of long‑term performance, and ASUS is designed to capture that opportunity.”

Nicholas Condoleon, Portfolio Manager and Deputy Head of Equities, Long Only, highlighted the potential benefits of the active ETF structure for a broader range of investors.

“Quoting the Fund as an Active ETF allows investors to tap into Ausbil’s sustainable investment expertise with the convenience of trading on the exchange. Our process focuses on identifying quality businesses with strong fundamentals and sustainable competitive advantages, and we’re excited to offer this strategy in a format that enhances accessibility and transparency.”

Ausbil’s sustainability approach applies the Fund’s Controversial Activity Exclusion Policy and integrates proprietary environmental, social and corporate governance research. Companies are assessed on both what they do and how they manage ESG factors, resulting in a sustainability profile and score. Only those determined by Ausbil to have good sustainability profiles are considered for inclusion in the Portfolio.

“We are extremely pleased to launch ASUS as an active ETF, our fifth to be listed on the ASX,” said Mark Knight, Chief Executive Officer of Ausbil. “This expands access to Ausbil’s investment capability, enabling a broader range of investors, including retail and advised clients, to invest in a sustainable strategy with a strong track record.”

Since inception (31 January 2018), the Fund has generated a net return of 9.22% pa, compared to the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index return of 8.36% pa, delivering an outperformance of +0.86% pa to 31 March 2026. The Fund has been rated ‘Highly Recommended’ and ‘Recommended’ by Lonsec and Zenith, respectively. The Fund was launched in 2018 and has A$394 million of funds under management as of 31 March 2026.

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Mans Carlsson

Måns Carlsson OAM, Ausbil’s Head of ESG, has been reappointed as a member of the NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for the 2024-2025 financial year.

The Advisory Panel provides advice and counsel to the Commissioner, an independent statutory office of the NSW Government, to identify vulnerability to modern slavery and prevent victimisation in NSW by raising awareness, due diligence in supply chains and empower people with lived modern slavery experience.

Carlsson has 15 years of expertise in Environmental, Sustainable and Governance (ESG) investment and has represented Ausbil on the Federal Government advisory panel that worked on the initial Modern Slavery Act legislation. Ausbil was also a co-author of the RIAA Investor Toolkit – Human Rights with a Focus on Supply Chains, with Carlsson serving as the Chair, RIAA Human Rights Working Group. In 2022, Carlsson was recognised with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for service to the sustainable investment sector, including special mention of his work with Ausbil on modern slavery.

“Modern slavery impacts multiple millions of people worldwide, something I have witnessed first-hand in the many field trips I have undertaken over the years,” said Carlsson. In his primary research field trips, Carlsson has visited Hong Kong (2011 & 2012), China (2011, 2012 & 2016), Bangladesh (2014 & 2022), Cambodia (2018 & 2019) and Thailand (2019).

“A key focus for Ausbil is drawing attention to this very real risk to Australian companies and urging action and compliance in seeking to reduce the incidence of modern slavery, globally,” said Carlsson. “I am honoured to have been asked to assist the Commission, businesses and people in NSW to bring our expertise in working on modern slavery in assisting the work of the Commissioner.”

Commissioner Dr James Cockayne said, in a recent release, that he is looking forward to working with the newly formed group of experts and leveraging their extensive knowledge to further enhance this strategic project and reinforce NSW’s leadership in the fight against modern slavery.

All members of the Advisory Panel serve in a personal capacity and commit to the confidentiality of the panel’s deliberations and engagement with the Commissioner and his team.

Twenty of the initial cohort of 29 experts involved in FY 2023-2024 return to the panel. They are joined by an additional 13 leading specialists.

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Mark knight

Ausbil Investment Management Limited (Ausbil) is pleased to be named a Responsible Investment Leader for 2024 in Australia by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA).

The recognition, based on RIAA’s Responsible Investment Scorecard, highlights Ausbil’s dedication to responsible investing and strong focus on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into investment decisions.

“This certification endorses our commitment to the principles of responsible investing,” said Måns Carlsson, Ausbil’s Head of ESG, Co-Portfolio Manager Active Sustainable Equity. “It highlights our strong focus on proprietary ESG research and its integration into Ausbil’s fundamental stock analysis and investment processes.”

Ausbil’s approach to ESG and sustainable investing model is based on deep fundamental ESG research, engagement and advocacy across companies listed on the ASX. The firm’s dedicated ESG research team powers a program of face-to-face engagement with the boards and leaders of Australia’s listed companies.

“We are proud to be recognised with this certification,” said Mark Knight, Chief Executive Officer.

Mr Knight added: “Our ESG research plays a significant role in shaping our investment decisions and ultimately supports delivering sustainable outcomes for our client.”

Ausbil joins a select group of 60 investment managers identified as Responsible Investment Leaders with both Responsible Investment Leaders and Responsible Investors set to be featured in RIAA’s Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand Responsible Investment Benchmark Reports.

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Måns Carlsson

Ausbil Investment Management (Ausbil) is pleased to announce that we have become the first investment organisation to sign with Domus 8.7, an anti-slavery remediation charity established to help meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 of ending modern slavery by 2030.

“We are pleased to announce the partnership with Domus 8.7 focused on the eradication of modern slavery,” says Mark Knight, Chief Executive Officer of Ausbil. “Modern slavery has long been a key focus of our ESG efforts at Ausbil, and Domus 8.7 brings another step in the practical efforts to end modern slavery and help rehabilitate those impacted.”

Domus 8.7 was inspired by Pope Francis, who was the catalyst for Target 8.7 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which calls for effective measures to end all forms of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour by 2030.

“Ausbil has been actively engaging companies on modern slavery for many years, firstly in understanding and reporting it, and then in helping identify policies and actions that can be taken to help reduce this risk in supply chains,” says Måns Carlsson, OAM, Head of ESG and Co-Portfolio Manager of the Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity Fund at Ausbil.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals have mandated a target for the eradication of forced labour worldwide by 2030. But data shows the estimated incidence of modern slavery has been rising, not falling. The number of people living and working in modern slavery conditions increased from an estimated 40.3 million in 2016 to 49.6 million in 2021 (ILO/Walk Free/IOM, 2022). This represents a compound annual growth of +4.2% across five years – more than four times the annual world population growth of +1.0% per annum for the same period (World Bank, 2024).

“Modern slavery, as well as other labour rights issues, has been a key focus for multiple field trips I have undertaken for research,” says Carlsson. These primary research field trips have included Hong Kong (2011, 2012), China (2011, 2012, 2016), Bangladesh (2014, 2022), Cambodia (2018, 2019) and Thailand (2019). “Our partnership with Domus 8.7 is a natural evolution in our work in highlighting the need to take real and immediate action on modern slavery wherever we can.”

Ausbil is currently chairing the Human Rights Working Group of RIAA, is on the steering committee of IAST-APAC and has also been on the Experts Advisory Panel on Modern Slavery, assisting the Federal Government in the implementation of the Modern Slavery Act.

“We are delighted to welcome Ausbil as partners with Domus 8.7 in helping achieve the UN SDG goal of eradicating modern slavery by 2030,” says Alison Rahill, Executive Officer and ACAN Program Manager at the Australian Catholic Antislavery Network who administer Domus 8.7 in Australia. “We look forward to actively working with Ausbil on achieving progress on modern slavery.”

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Måns Carlsson-Sweeny

The Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity Fund has celebrated  a successful three-years since inception by formally excluding fossil fuels.

Previously, the fund had excluded material investments in controversial activities such as uranium, thermal coal, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons and armaments, and pornography.

This exclusion  list has been expanded to include investing in exploration, mining and/or the distribution of fossil fuels, including oil, gas, oil sands and all coal.

“The energy transition is well underway and smart capital is investing in the future of energy that  is cleaner, renewable and contributes to the sustainability goals around climate change,” said Nicholas Condoleon, Portfolio Manager for the Ausbil Active Sustainable Equity Fund and Head  of Equities Research. “A Biden Presidency is also expected to accelerate policy initiatives supportive of the substitution of fossil fuels by renewable fuel sources making this a very exciting time to be in sustainable investing.”

Ausbil’s ESG and sustainable investing model is based in deep fundamental ESG research, engagement and advocacy across the universe of investable companies on the ASX. Its dedicated ESG research team powers a program of face-to-face engagement with the boards and leaders of Australia’s listed companies.

“We have developed an ‘engine’ for ESG action that underpins our sustainable investment approach, and sees a rolling program of some 200 active engagements every year across all aspects of ESG,” said Måns Carlsson, Ausbil’s Head of ESG Research.  “This deep pool of data informs a larger spectrum risk assessment within Ausbil’s investment decision framework, improving risk-adjusted returns by considering the greater risk and ESG impact of every company.”

“Increasingly, we are seeing investors, from the world’s biggest institutions to mum and dad super investors, driving the move towards sustainable investing,” said Mark Knight, Ausbil’s Head of Distribution. “Whether it is climate change, modern slavery or governance, sustainable investors want their capital to be responsible. They don’t want their capital to overlook these issues.”

Themes like decarbonisation and global warming are driving a growing energy thematic that will eventually tip the scales toward alternative energy, most likely faster than previously thought.

COVID-19 has seen a drive towards renewables as a policy lever, and also as renewable energy costs fall in comparison to fossil fuels. “There is a long ramp-up of opportunity here in the long switch  to more renewable energy sources for long-term investors,” said Mr Condoleon.

“Active and consistent engagement, backed with active advocacy and voting means we walk  the walk of sustainable investing,” said Mr Carlsson. “Engaging means we will maintain an ongoing conversation with the companies in our universe, even when they have uninvestable ESG scores. This is how we achieve change.”

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