Commenting on the appointment, group general manager of Wealth Management, Renato Mota said “We’re excited to have someone the calibre of Matt joining our group, to help lead what is a transformational period for IOOF.  Having Matt’s experience in leadership and investment insights as we create a market leading position through the combination of ANZ Wealth Management and IOOF is an exciting proposition.”

Matt joins IOOF having most recently been the Chief Executive Officer of Lonsec Research which is a market leader in the provision of investment research across managed funds, structured products, ETFs, direct property and infrastructure.  Prior to Lonsec, Matt was Chief Investment Officer of a $5 billion Industry Super Fund. Matt also has extensive experience as a buy-side investment analyst responsible for stock selection and sector research on ASX and Global listed equities.

Commenting on his appointment Matt said “Joining IOOF at this point in its evolution is a great opportunity to contribute to the creation of a market leading advice-led wealth management business.  My time at Lonsec gives me a strong grounding in understanding the importance of advice and the role of advisers within it.  I’m excited by the opportunities to apply that knowledge in an organisation so committed to the advice space.”

Matt will join IOOF in late April.

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Matt Olsen

Lonsec Research has partnered with Synchron to provide investment research and consulting services to Australia’s largest non-institutionally owned financial advice group.

Synchron’s financial advisers will harness investment product research, market insights, and portfolio construction tools via Lonsec Research’s leading iRate platform, adding to Synchron’s financial advice capability.

“We are incredibly excited to be working with Synchron and to be supporting Australia’s largest group of non-aligned financial advisers,” said Lonsec Research CEO Matt Olsen. “Our focus is on delivering a solution that matches the depth and sophistication of Synchron’s financial advice, while providing them with the cutting-edge tools they need to create better investment outcomes for their clients.”

As Synchron’s preferred investment research provider, Lonsec Research will provide its full suite of financial product research, including managed funds and direct equities analysis, as well as specialised investment consulting services to enhance Synchron’s Approved Product List (APL).

“We’re pleased to be supported by the depth and experience of Lonsec’s investment research team,” said Synchron Director John Prossor. “Lonsec’s superior portfolio tools mean Synchron is best placed to continue to meet client demand for higher-value financial advice and tailored investment solutions.”

Lonsec Research’s iRate platform remains number one among financial advisers and dealer groups. iRate’s time-series portfolios allow users to analyse investment performance where changes have been made to holdings or asset allocation over time, and users can filter financial products by a range of qualitative investment objective criteria to create tailored solutions.

“We are continually evolving our investment research and tools to meet the new challenges and opportunities within the financial advice industry,” said Mr Olsen. “Our goal is to ensure financial advisers are best equipped to deliver for their clients now and into the future.”

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Kim Ivey

An elite group of Funds Managers were recognized last night for their excellent performance and contribution to the industry at the 2017 Hedge Funds Rock and The Australian Alternative Investment Awards, one of the Australian financial sector’s most enduring charitable efforts.

Over 450 guests attended the awards dinner at the Shangri- La Hotel in Sydney.

The nominees and winners were selected by a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors developed by the following panel of judges: Matt Olsen from Lonsec Research (Chair) Simon Ibbetson from Eternal Wealth, Daniel Liptak from Australia Ratings and Kim Ivey from Vertex Capital Advisers. Lonsec Research, one of Australia’s largest investment research and ratings groups, became a partner in 2017 and were instrumental in assisting the judges with collecting and collating the fund data.

Kim Ivey, an alternative investment industry stalwart, HFR Chairman and a founder of the event congratulated all the winners and the nominees: “Based on the long deliberations of the Judging Committee, this year’s awards were some of the hardest to assess, with many managers producing excellent numbers.

“The awards recognise fund managers in the Australian alternative investment industry who have produced superior risk adjusted returns and those groups or individuals who have made exemplary investment or contributions to the local alternatives industry.”

The event raised over $150,000 adding to the nearly $3 million already raised by the alternative investment industry since the event began in 2002.

The Redkiteorganization is again the major sponsored charity for the event.

‘We are thrilled to be part of this wonderful event again this year. On behalf of the children and young people with cancer we support, we would like to thank the entire Hedge Funds Rock and The Australian Alternative Investment Awards community for their ongoing generosity’ said Tyler Juel, Red Kite National Corporate Partnerships Manager.

The category winners in the 2017 Australian Alternative Investment Awards are:

• Best Long Short Equity Fund: Macquarie Australia Plus Fund
• Best Global Macro/Futures Fund: AE Capital Fully Geared USD Systematic FX Fund
• Best Emerging Manager: Tribeca Global Natural Resources Fund – Class A units
• Best Market Neutral Fund: Macquarie Pure Alpha Fund
• Best Fixed Income and Credit Fund: JPMorgan Global Bond Opportunities Fund
• Best Multi Strategy Fund: Aberdeen Multi Asset Real Return Fund
• Best Listed Alternative Investment Product (new for 2017): ETFS Physical Palladium (ETPMPD)
• Best Offshore Manager Operating in Australia: Man Investments
• Best Investor Supporting Australian Alternative Investment Managers: Pinnacle Investment Management
• Contribution to the Australian Alternative Investment Industry: Daniel Liptak- Australia Ratings
• Australian Alternative Investment Fund of the Year: Macquarie Australia Plus Fund

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Kim Ivey

One of the Australian financial sector’s most enduring charitable efforts, Hedge Funds Rock (HFR) & The Australian Alternative Investment Awards has announced the nominees for its 2017 awards event.

The event, now in its 16th year, is an annual charitable and networking evening. It is traditionally held in Sydney in conjunction with the Alternative Investment Management Association’s (AIMA) Australia Annual Forum. HFR attracts all the major participants in the local alternative investment industry together with a growing contingent of offshore investors, advisers and service providers to raise money for charity.

According to Kim Ivey, an alternative investment industry stalwart and HFR Chairman, “Many investors have been increasing their allocation to alternative investment strategies in the wake of steeper valuations in capital markets, increased global geo-political risk, and heightened uncertainty regarding future central bank policies.

“Based on the long deliberations of the Judging Committee, this year’s awards were some of the hardest to assess, with many managers producing excellent numbers.

“The awards recognise fund managers in the Australian alternative investment industry who have produced superior risk adjusted returns and those groups or individuals who have made exemplary investment or contributions to the local alternatives industry.”

The award winners will be announced at Sydney’s Shangri La Hotel on Thursday, September 14th, 2017. The HFR committee is hoping to increase its donation to local charities this year and a wide selection of prizes and auction items have been donated by generous benefactors. The Redkite (http://www.redkite.org.au/) organization is again the major sponsored charity for the event. The HFR committee is hoping to add to the nearly $3 million already raised by the alternative investment industry since the event began in 2002.

“The awards have become an established industry event, attended by nearly 500 people from the alternative investment industry each year,” said HFR Chairman Kim Ivey.

Here are the 2017 award nominees:

Best Long Short Equity Fund

• Antipodes Global Fund
• LI Capital Long Short Fund
• Macquarie Australia Plus Fund

Best Global Macro/Futures Fund

• AE Capital Fully Geared USD Systematic FX Fund
• Kaiser Global Diversified Program
• Man AHL Evolution (AUD hedged)

Best Emerging Manager

• AIM Global High Conviction Fund
• Alleron Australian Eagle Trust Long-Short Fund
• Tribeca Global Natural Resources Fund – Class A units

Best Market Neutral Fund

• Bennelong Long Short Fund
• Macquarie Pure Alpha Fund
• Pengana PanAgora Absolute Return Global Equities Fund

Best Fixed Income and Credit Fund

• Janus Henderson Global Fixed Interest Total Return Fund
• JPMorgan Global Bond Opportunities Fund
• Alexander Credit Opportunities Fund

Best Multi Strategy Fund

• Aberdeen Multi Asset Real Return Fund
• Insight Investment Diversified Inflation Plus Fund
• MLC Wholesale Inflation Plus – Assertive Portfolio A

Best Listed Alternative Investment Product (new for 2017)

• Blue Sky Alternatives Access Fund Limited (BAF
• ETFS Physical Palladium (ETPMPD)
• PM CAPITAL Global Opportunities Fund Limited (PGF)

Best Offshore Manager Operating in Australia

• Aberdeen
• Man Investments
• Partners Group

Best Investor Supporting Australian Alternative Investment Managers

A cross section of the Australian investment industry was invited to nominate candidates for the best investor supporting local alternative investment managers.

Contribution to the Australian Alternative Investment Industry

A cross-section of the Australian industry was invited to nominate candidates for the best contributor to the Australian alternative investment industry.

Australian Alternative Investment Fund of the Year

(Winner to be announced on the awards night)

The category finalists were selected by a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors developed by the following panel of judges: Matt Olsen from Lonsec Research (Chair) Simon Ibbetson from Eternal Wealth, Daniel Liptak from Australia Ratings and Kim Ivey from Vertex Capital Advisers. Lonsec Research, one of Australia’s largest investment research and ratings groups, became an HFR partner in 2017 and were instrumental in assisting the judges with collecting and collating the fund data.

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Matt Olsen

Lonsec has introduced a new capability in its leading iRate platform that enables users to assess and target exposure to specific investment objectives. Integrating with iRate’s portfolio construction tool, this feature represents the next evolutionary step in financial product research, allowing users to tailor their research and investment solutions based on specific investment goals and criteria.

With the constant growth in financial products and the rising demand from investors for tailored solutions, the ability of investment professionals to cater to individual objectives is becoming a real challenge. Given the pressure placed on traditional financial advice models, financial advisers and other industry professionals need to be equipped with the right tools to enable them to adapt to the new world.

“Currently there is a mismatch between the financial advice industry’s focus on investment objectives and the ability of current research tools to provide a tailored solution,” said Lonsec Research CEO Matt Olsen. “Individual investors can have multiple objectives that go beyond simply generating income or reducing volatility. They may want to invest ethically, reduce their portfolio’s complexity, or manage different types of risk. Building solutions around these objectives can be a daunting process. That’s why we have introduced these new capabilities.”

Matching the pace of evolution

Taking a holistic approach to financial product ratings is nothing new. Along with its overall financial product rating, Lonsec also provides ratings across a range of different factors that may impact the suitability of the financial product for individual investors. Known as BIOmetrics, these ratings cover the various risks, costs and features of a financial product that can be used in providing tailored investment advice.

However, what is new is the ability to utilise BIOmetrics ratings when building or assessing portfolios or Approved Product Lists (APLs). This new functionality integrates with Lonsec’s iRate platform, allowing users to navigate Lonsec’s entire rated financial product universe to find financial products that best match your client’s investment objectives. Used in conjunction with Lonsec’s traditional fund ratings, users can create a more personalised advice experience while meeting the industry’s best interest requirements.

Using BIOmetrics in Lonsec’s iRate platform

iRate users can now utilise Lonsec’s BIOmetrics ratings when constructing and evaluating portfolios. This new feature integrates with iRate’s portfolio construction tool, allowing you to navigate Lonsec’s rated financial product universe to find financial products that best match your client’s investment objectives. This new functionality allows you to:Search for financial products based on their rating outcomes across a range of BIOmetrics factors

• search for financial products based on their rating outcomes across a range of BIOmetrics factors
• scan an existing portfolio or APL to assess its performance in selected BIOmetrics categories
• receive suggestions for similar financial products that better align with your chosen BIOmetrics factors.

Lonsec’s BIOmetrics ratings are based on a rigorous analysis of the features and characteristics of each financial product, backed by Lonsec’s extensive peer review process. By utilising the new BIOmetrics feature in iRate, users can have confidence that their investment solution or product list is backed by Lonsec’s leading research capability.

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Matt Olsen

Lonsec last night announced the winners of the annual Lonsec Awards, which recognise the major innovators and industry leaders who are shaping the future of Australia’s wealth creation sector.

Altius Asset Management was awarded the Lonsec Innovation Awards for its Altius Sustainable Bond Fund, and Fidelity International took home the Lonsec Rising Star Award for its Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund. Magellan Asset Management was presented with the Lonsec Icon Award.

The winners were announced at a gala dinner at Sydney’s Four Points hotel on 18 October, following the SuperRatings and Lonsec Day of Confrontation conference.

“The purpose of the Lonsec Awards is to recognise those funds that are shaping the future of the industry,” said Matt Olsen, CEO of Lonsec Research. “Along with the prestigious Lonsec Icon Award, we seek to recognise future industry leaders and funds that are driving innovation to deliver value to investors.”

This year’s winners and nominees show that even within established firms there is room for new thinking and innovation. Each of the winners stood out among their peers in demonstrating real passion, leadership, or a unique approach to investing.

“Altius combines an empowered sustainability policy with solid macro research methodology, implemented by a highly experienced team,” said Olsen. “Fidelity’s Australian Opportunities Fund is building a solid track record, and we have developed a high level of conviction in their team and their strategy. Magellan Asset Management is a manager that has continually impressed with their market leadership, the quality and depth of their investment insight, their client service and the proven success of their investment strategies.”

Lonsec Awards 2016 Category Winners

Lonsec Innovation Award:

Altius Asset Management — Altius Sustainable Bond Fund

Lonsec Rising Star Award:

Fidelity International — Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund

Lonsec Icon Award:

Magellan Asset Management

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Matt Olsen

Lonsec Awards to Recognise Leaders in Australia’s Wealth Creation Sector

Lonsec has announced the finalists for the Lonsec Awards 2016, which recognise the major innovators and industry leaders who are shaping the future of Australia’s wealth creation sector. The Lonsec Awards go beyond the pure quantitative, looking at the people behind the investment decisions, the rigour of the investment process and philosophy, and the new thought and innovations that create real value for investors.

“These awards are about more than just past performance – they are about identifying those funds and managers that are having the biggest impact on the industry’s future,” said Matt Olsen, CEO of Lonsec Research. “Each of the funds nominated have stood out among their peers in demonstrating real passion, leadership and innovation. Unfortunately, only one winner can go home with the prize, which makes our job very hard.”

The overall winners will be announced at a gala dinner at Sydney’s Four Points hotel on 18 October 2016, following the Lonsec and SuperRatings Day of Confrontation conference. The Day of Confrontation has become an institution within the industry, where the future of the investment world is examined from a range of different perspectives with the aim of breaking down established beliefs. This year’s speakers include former Foreign Minister the Hon Bob Carr, and banker turned author and consultant Satyajit Das.

Lonsec Awards 2016 categories and finalists

Lonsec Innovation Award Finalists

• Altius Sustainable Bond Fund – Bill Bovingdon
• Bennelong Twenty 20 – Mark East
• Magellan Exchange Quoted Managed Fund (EQMF) – Hamish Douglas

Lonsec Rising Star Award Finalists

• Fidelity Australian Opportunities Fund – Kate Howitt
• Perpetual Industrial Share Fund – Vince Pezzullo
• Van Eck Vectors FTSE Global Infrastructure ETF

Lonsec Icon Award

• To be awarded on the night.

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Matt Olsen

Lonsec Research has now launched the next generation of its market-leading iRate platform, providing financial advisers with a powerful array of new tools and capabilities to drive their investment analysis.

The new iRate features enhanced portfolio construction, research and reporting tools, all of which will enable financial advisers to generate more in-depth analysis, as well as clearly show the value their advice is adding to their client’s portfolio.

The financial advice industry is undergoing significant transformation, with rapid changes in technology and increased competition presenting both challenges and opportunities for financial advice businesses. Despite these new pressures, advisers must remain focused on the fundamentals of financial advice provision, on delivering outcomes related to client objectives, and in particular on how they can adapt the wealth of market data and information available to them in a way that is meaningful for individual clients.

“As the financial advice industry becomes increasingly sophisticated, more demands are placed on advisers, especially when it comes to demonstrating the quality and depth of their advice,” said Lonsec Research CEO Matt Olsen. “Our aim is to leverage the financial adviser’s knowledge and expertise, and to give them additional tools so they can continue creating better investment outcomes for their clients. We need to be continually evolving our financial adviser tools, just as advisers are evolving with the industry. This is what the next gen iRate achieves.”

The iRate platform provides access to the full suite of Lonsec Research analysis and investment tools. Along with the current managed funds research and standard portfolio construction tools, iRate will now offer time-series portfolios, allowing users to analyse a portfolio’s performance where changes have been made to the holdings or asset allocation over time, as well as create user-defined product asset classes. This means users can easily compare their portfolio’s allocation and performance with peer portfolios and benchmarks, as well as track allocation changes over time.

Advanced portfolio reporting enables users to analyse portfolio performance over any period, and users can also choose to supplement their report with Lonsec Research market commentary and individual share analysis. For the first time, iRate enables users to create and analyse equity-only model portfolios, with fully integrated equity research. iRate also allows users to import and export portfolios easily, including to and from Xplan.

Better, Smarter iRate

The latest iRate platform represents a major improvement in terms of features and functionality. The new iRate will enable users to:

• Create time-series portfolios: Users can report on and analyse a portfolio where one or more changes have been made to asset allocation and/or manager selection since inception. Users can then compare with other portfolios using the Portfolio Comparison and Quantitative Analysis tools, based on 16 different performance metrics.
• Switch products between asset classes: Users can allocate a product to a different asset class by simply dragging and dropping a fund to the appropriate asset class category.
• Import and export portfolios: Users can load a portfolio, or multiple portfolios, into Portfolio Construction using an Excel template, with completed portfolios then exportable to Excel. The Excel template is compatible with Xplan, allowing users to quickly and easily load client portfolios between the two tools.
• Generate customisable portfolio reports: When generating portfolio reports, users now have the option to add a Market Commentary report, providing a snapshot of key market movements over the previous calendar month. Users can now select the start date as well as the end date, allowing reporting to cover different periods. For portfolios including direct equities, the Stock Viewpoint can also be included.
• Create direct equity portfolios: Users will be able to create and analyse equity-only model portfolios. The customised new tool is designed specifically for use with direct equity holdings, and includes fully integrated analysis from Lonsec Equity Research.

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Matt Olsen

Australian financial advisers were this week introduced to a modern investment approach to help investors tackle the twin challenges of market volatility and low growth rates: quantamental investing.

Local fund manager Pengana Capital hosted a series of adviser lunches which discussed the future of active investment management, and showcased global trends. Advisers heard from leading global quant expert, Dr Eric Sorensen, CEO of Boston-based PanAgora Asset Management, and Matt Olsen, CEO of Lonsec Research, on how to navigate the plethora of investment tools and strategies to achieve the best outcomes for investors.

Quantamental is a name given to investment strategies whereby investment managers incorporate both fundamental and quantitative management techniques. The aim is to simultaneously capture the depth of analysis and human insight normally associated with fundamental managers, along with the breadth of analysis and unbiased discipline associated with quant.

Dr Sorensen, a former fighter pilot prior to embarking on a 40 year investing career, likened this approach to the combination of creativity, human analysis and information processing required to succeed in battle.

He suggested anyone unsure of quantamental integration need only look to the Second World War, when Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding built a system of integrated information using radar, human observations and a dedicated phone system to overcome an enemy with roughly equal fire power.

“We try to build expert systems that do what fundamental analysis can do, but with the help of technology, we can do it better,” Dr Sorensen said. “This combined approach allows managers to generate stronger returns across a broader stock universe.”

Search for real returns

Lonsec Research CEO Matt Olsen said the current environment of low interest rates, increased volatility and lower world growth rates meant investors and their advisers continue to search for new ways to improve portfolio diversification – so that they can achieve meaningful returns across a variety of market conditions.

“Managing portfolio volatility is always a key consideration for conservative investors. Considering unique approaches within an asset class may be a way to achieve increased diversification. True alpha sources are valuable to a portfolio not only as a return source, but also as a diversifier as they are not correlated with bond or equity market beta.”

He said advisers and their client needn’t be put off by the term ‘quant’.

“Both fundamental and quantitative approaches have their place in a portfolio. Quant approaches can access fundamental insights in a systematic way. They often also offer greater breadth via either applying those fundamental insights systematically across a wider opportunity set, or via higher turnover.”

Local partnership

In 2015 Pengana announced a partnership with PanAgora Asset Management, a $50bn global quant leader which already manages around $2 billion in institutional mandates for Australian superannuation funds. The partnership enables Australian advisers and retail investors to access PanAgora’s distinguished and proven approach directly as well as via a range of local platforms.

The first strategy available to local retail investors is the Pengana PanAgora Absolute Return Global Equities Fund, a market neutral strategy which helps investors achieve consistent returns despite changeable market conditions.

Classified as an ‘alternative investment’, the fund uses a quantamental approach to invest both long and short positions in a comparatively large number of highly diversified global stocks, through a bottom up stock selection process. As part of the selection process, the strategy focuses on reducing/eliminating the impact of macroeconomic events and providing a portfolio where returns are not related to, or dependent on, market movements (beta).

Pengana’s Head of Distribution, Damian Crowley, said the fund was garnering strong market support as investors searched for market neutral strategies in the current unpredictable environment.

“Investors are seeking stable returns that are uncorrelated to equity markets, but also uncorrelated to other equity or asset class strategies that they already have in their portfolio,” Mr Crowley said.

“By reducing exposure to macro events such as interest rates and oil price moves, the strategy ensures returns come from individual stock selection, avoids crowded trades and provides true diversification,” he said.

The Fund is currently available through the Asgard and Macquarie Wrap platforms.

Pengana manages around $1.7 billion in assets across six established equity strategies spanning Australian shares, Australian small caps, global resources, global small caps, global equities and Asian event driven.

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Matt Olsen

Leading research provider, Lonsec Research, yesterday announced Matt Olsen has been appointed as its new CEO, effective immediately, to replace David Erdonmez, who departed the business in June this year.

In his new role, Mr Olsen will be responsible for managing the research team of 25 investment professionals, overseeing the implementation of Lonsec’s robust investment research process for financial advisers, as well as supporting the evolution of its service offering.

Mr Olsen brings more than 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including equity analysis, fund manager research and portfolio management. Prior to joining Lonsec Research, he was most recently CIO at Energy Industries Super Scheme.

Amanda Gillespie, Director of Lonsec Research and Joint CEO of Lonsec Fiscal, said Mr Olsen had extensive investment and research experience and skills to lead the research business on a continued path of sustainable growth.

“Matt’s expertise lies in his deep understanding of investment markets, hands on experience analysing both listed securities and critiquing fund managers and critically, working with clients to support implementation of research insights,” Ms Gillespie said. “His established network of relationships with fund managers, financial advisers and super funds also makes him well suited for the role.”

Ms Gillespie said the appointment of Mr Olsen positioned Lonsec Research strongly to continue delivering high quality research services for clients.

“We have launched a number of new initiatives this calendar year and we are excited to have Matt joining the team to work with our clients, to discuss how the evolving Lonsec service offering can support their businesses.”

In April this year, Lonsec Research released an expansion of iRate, iRate 5, following the business’s acquisition of the technology at the end of 2014. In the same month, Lonsec Research launched an engagement tool for advisers, Goals Based Analysis tool, and a series of fund-specific metrics – BIOmetrics. The business has also broadened its research coverage to include ratings on separately managed accounts, listed invested companies and mFunds, as well as keeping pace with the expanding exchange traded fund (ETF) universe.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Lonsec Fiscal Holdings, Lonsec Research is a leading provider of investment product research, ratings and portfolio construction insight to the Australian financial advice market, across a broad range of unlisted investments.

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