(L to R): Glen Holding & Nick Hamilton

Channel Capital and Fidante have announced they have entered into a binding agreement to merge, forming a new parent entity: Channel Group.

Channel Capital is a privately-held Australian investment management services business that builds, supports and distributes boutique and global managers through its operating platform and responsible entity capability. Fidante, currently owned by Challenger, is an active multi-affiliate manager with approximately A$86 billion in funds under management across equities, fixed income and alternative assets.

The combined platform will service more than A$150 billion in assets, bringing together Channel’s operating platform with Fidante’s established multi-affiliate investment model.

This scale positions Channel Group as one of Australia’s largest investment platform and services businesses, supported by over 240 professionals across 11 global offices, with the capabilities to serve a diverse range of clients.

Under the transaction, Channel’s shareholders will hold a majority interest in Channel Group, with Challenger retaining a meaningful minority stake. This structure ensures both organisations remain co-invested in the platform, reflecting the joint conviction in the group’s long-term outlook and success.

Channel Group will centralise operational expertise across shared infrastructure, including responsible entity and governance services. Within the group, Channel Capital, Fidante and Continental Funds Group will continue to operate as distinct, client-facing businesses. This model preserves the unique identities, investment philosophies and affiliate relationships that underpin each business’ success, while enabling them to benefit from shared capabilities and operational scale.

Channel Group Chief Executive Officer Glen Holding said: “Bringing together the strength and expertise of Channel Capital and Fidante creates a highly diversified, resilient platform with the ability to invest through market cycles.

“It’s a truly distinctive proposition — one that gives boutique Australian managers the resources to grow, while offering global managers a proven, trusted gateway into the Australian market. That combination is highly differentiated in the market, and it’s what will drive the next decade of growth for Channel Group.”

Challenger Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nick Hamilton, said: “Our announcement today takes Fidante into its next stage of growth as part of a larger and more diversified active funds management platform. This merger ensures we can remain long-term holders of Fidante, whilst benefitting from a more diversified multi-affiliate platform.

“We’re excited by the creation of Channel Group, the broader geographic reach and wider investor base it will provide to affiliates, increased career opportunities for our people, and the benefits for Challenger as a long-term holder and partner in a business we’re building together.”

Channel Group will operate across three core business lines: affiliate partnerships providing equity and revenue participation in boutique investment managers; distribution partnerships with major global firms; and institutional infrastructure services — including responsible entity, fund services and middle-office solutions — to major institutional clients.

The merged group services a broad range of Australian and global investment managers across listed and unlisted asset classes, including equities, fixed income, real assets and private markets, while connecting investors with high-quality investment opportunities.

Mr. Holding added that the merger delivers scale without compromising independence or quality: “This transaction establishes a platform with the scale and structure to support long-term growth. We have combined complementary capabilities while maintaining the brands and relationships that sit at the centre of client engagement.”

Completion of the merger remains subject to regulatory approval.

The post Channel Capital and Fidante combine, forming Channel Group appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Kelly Power

Key points

• Landmark expansion will give Australians access to integrated, whole of‑life retirement income and wealth management solutions – the most comprehensive offering of its kind in the market.
• Expanded partnership with Challenger with broader integration into CFS’s super and non-super ecosystem, including guaranteed and investment-linked pensions, as well as a complete range of annuities directly available on the FirstChoice and CFS Edge platforms.
• New alliance with Generation Life, powered by BlackRock’s global investment capabilities, to deliver investment-linked annuities, alongside tax-effective investment bonds.
• Introduction of innovative retirement income solutions (IRIS) capabilities on the FirstChoice and CFS Edge platforms, supported by new modelling and digital tools to help advisers deliver more tailored advice with greater efficiency.

Colonial First State (CFS) has announces the largest-ever expansion of its retirement offerings through a multi-partner alliance that will reshape how retirement solutions are delivered in Australia.

Developed with Challenger, Generation Life, and BlackRock, the partnerships move beyond product-led approaches to a whole-of-life retirement model that enables Australians to transition from accumulation to retirement with greater confidence, flexibility and income security.

Kelly Power, Chief Executive Officer of Colonial First State Superannuation, said, “CFS has built its reputation on being a leader in retirement, and this expansion reflects a material capital commitment to supporting Australians across their entire retirement journey by providing the most comprehensive whole-of-life offering in the market.”

“By bringing together best-in-class global investment capability, local market-leading lifetime income expertise and tax‑effective structures, this integrated offering is designed to meet the increasingly complex financial needs of Australians. It recognises that retirement is no longer a single event, but a long-term financial journey that requires different solutions over time,” added Ms Power.

A seamless retirement income experience for advisers

CFS will integrate innovative retirement income solutions (IRIS) and the full suite of annuity capabilities from Challenger directly across all CFS platforms. It will also integrate Generation Life’s investment-linked IRIS onto FirstChoice and investment bonds onto FirstChoice and CFS Edge, providing a tax-efficient alternative as Australia’s investment and retirement tax landscape continues to evolve.

The new whole-of-life offering will bring together a comprehensive range of retirement solutions in a single environment, making it easier for advisers to deliver whole‑of‑portfolio advice across wealth management, income and estate planning.

The adviser experience will also be supported by new integrated retirement modelling capabilities that draw on multiple data sources to enable more tailored retirement outcomes and greater efficiency via straight-through processing.

The rollout of new solutions begins from August with the introduction of the Retirement Income Optimiser on the FirstChoice platform, as well as a Pension Bonus feature for eligible CFS members. Further solutions will be introduced progressively over the next 12 months.

Greater choice and confidence for members

CFS’s expanded partnership with Australia’s largest annuity provider, Challenger, builds on a relationship of more than 30 years, with this next phase fully integrating Challenger’s complete product range – including newly launching IRIS guaranteed and market-linked pensions alongside fixed-term, lifetime income and aged care solutions.

The alliance with Generation Life brings together its retirement expertise with BlackRock’s global investment and retirement capabilities. CFS members will also benefit from BlackRock’s experience delivering LifePath Paycheck in the US – an integrated target date strategy which provides eligible participants the ability to purchase a guaranteed income stream for retirement payable by third-party insurers selected by BlackRock.Together, these alliances will provide CFS members with greater choice and flexibility in how they generate income and transfer wealth over time. Members will have access to lifetime income solutions combining fixed, CPI and investment-linked annuities, with account-based pensions, alongside flexible and tax-effective investment bond structures, and digital tools designed to support more confident decision-making across long-term and intergenerational planning.

Partner perspectives

Nick Hamilton, Managing Director and CEO, Challenger, said, “What’s powerful about this partnership with CFS is how naturally our organisations fit together. But the real significance goes beyond partnership mechanics. Australia has been very successful at helping people accumulate super, yet far less effective at helping them convert those balances into income they can actually depend on. CFS is embedding lifetime income at scale, and this collaboration tackles one of the hardest and least‑solved problems in the retirement system – how to turn savings into income for life.”

Jason Collins, Head of Australasia, BlackRock, said, “CFS has been a longstanding whole portfolio partner for BlackRock, and we are proud to continue supporting its MySuper LifeStage portfolios. Working alongside Generation Life, we look forward to contributing to the next phase of growth as CFS expands the retirement toolkit for advisers and members, and moves towards more integrated, end-to-end retirement solutions that help more Australians experience financial wellbeing.”

Felipe Araujo, CEO of Generation Life, said, “Generation Life is proud to be selected as a partner of choice by CFS to help co-develop next-generation wealth management and retirement solutions. Australia’s retirement system is entering a new phase, where advice delivery is keeping pace with the increasingly dynamic needs of Australian retirees. This alliance represents one of the first truly integrated retirement ecosystems of its kind in Australia, bringing together income, tax efficiency and intergenerational wealth planning in a more connected way to better support Australians through retirement and across generations”

The post Colonial First State to introduce its largest-ever expansion of retirement solutions with Challenger, Generation Life and BlackRock appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Nick Hamilton

OPEX Consulting Pty Ltd (OPEX) has announced a strategic partnership with Challenger to support the continued development and growth of the Informed Financial Future (iff) financial advice platform.

The platform is designed to help advisers generate comprehensive advice strategies faster and scale advice delivery more efficiently. The partnership with Challenger will also deliver modelling of lifetime income strategies for advisers supporting clients approaching or in retirement.

The partnership reflects a broader shift underway in advice technology: tightly integrated, productivity-focused platforms that reduce delivery time, improve consistency, and create capacity across advice businesses. Challenger’s involvement provides long-term backing and confidence in the ongoing investment behind iff, reinforcing the platform’s continuity and OPEX’s ability to continue building for the future.

OPEX established iff as a ‘trusted advice engine’ built to fit into the evolving advice tech stack – enabling advisers to streamline and scale advice processes, while supporting connected integrations across the ecosystem. The platform is designed to be leveraged by advice businesses and connected to by other technology providers, including emerging AI solutions, to help deliver more consistent, scalable advice outcomes.

With almost two decades of experience working alongside advice businesses, OPEX brings deep operational and regulatory understanding of how advice is delivered in practice and the capacity constraints that continue to challenge the industry.

OPEX remains independently owned and founder-led, with its strategy and product direction driven by an advice-first approach.

Paul Campbell, Managing Director, OPEX Consulting Pty Ltd, said: “We built iff as a trusted advice engine grounded in how advice is delivered in practice and the real constraints firms face – operationally, regulatorily, and commercially. This partnership supports our ability to keep investing in the platform and shaping the future advice tech stack.

“Challenger’s backing validates the long-term need for advice technology that puts capacity back into the system, while we remain founder-led and independent, focused on supporting advisers and making quality advice faster, simpler, and more affordable to deliver.”

The partnership will support continued investment in the platform and the broader product roadmap, including expansion across software, AI, and analytics capabilities, an ongoing focus on institutional-grade cybersecurity, and improved onboarding and change-management support for new clients.

Nick Hamilton, Chief Executive Officer, Challenger, said: “Our partnership with OPEX marks another step forward for Challenger and supports our focus on developing Australia’s retirement income market at scale. Making retirement income solutions integrate seamlessly into the financial advice ecosystem is a critical step in achieving this.

“We’re pleased to partner with OPEX and its iff advice platform to deliver retirement plans that are modelled with lifetime income. It will provide more support to financial advisers and their clients and ensure more Australians can retire with financial confidence.”

OPEX will share upcoming product enhancements and its AI strategy at its Roadmap Webinar on 4 March 2026, providing advisers with visibility into the future direction of the platform.

The post Challenger partners with OPEX to scale the Informed Financial Future (iff) platform appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Scott Hartley

MLC, the largest brand of Insignia Financial, has partnered with TAL and Challenger to develop a Centre of Excellence for MLC Retirement Boost, a new innovative retirement income solution.

The Centre of Excellence will have distribution specialists, digital advice member journeys and modelling tools including a new ‘Retirement Boost Optimiser’ tool to help clients visualise their total retirement income across super, retirement and the age pension. The partnership will see Challenger, as the largest retirement-focused distribution team in market, deliver the retirement expertise and distribution capability needed to bring MLC Retirement Boost to market scale.

MLC Retirement Boost will help provide greater certainty and confidence in retirement. It operates like a standard superannuation account but has the potential to allow Australians to boost income during retirement due to the concessional treatment of innovative lifetime income streams. MLC Retirement Boost will be available on MLC Expand platform for advisers to use with their superannuation clients from August 2025.

Insignia Financial’s CEO Scott Hartley said: “With more than three million Australians retiring over the next decade, MLC wants to redefine what retirement means for Australians and superannuation’s role in it.

“How Australians are thinking about, planning for, and entering retirement has changed. Until now the super industry has treated the accumulation and decumulation phases entirely separately, and we don’t think that accurately reflects how most people view retirement.

“Gone are the days of people fully stopping work and withdrawing their super as a lump sum. Australians are choosing to work for longer, scaling back their hours or even changing careers later in life. They are travelling more, helping care for grandkids and enjoying their retirement journey in more individual ways.

“MLC Retirement Boost will give Australians more personalisation and flexibility in their retirement planning, increase the potential of super for more people and potentially create higher retirement income, from their first super contribution.

“Recognising the critical role financial advisers play in retirement planning and delivering high quality retirement advice, MLC Retirement Boost will be available for advisers to use with their superannuation clients from August 2025 on MLC Expand.

“This innovative partnership combines the expertise of MLC, as one of the oldest and largest pension payers in Australia, with TAL as a leading life insurer and Challenger as the largest annuity provider.

“This is just the first step in MLC’s offering in this space, and I’m excited for what’s to come over the next 12-18 months as we continue to enhance MLC Retirement Boost to provide advisers with more options and flexibility to deliver personalised retirement income strategies to their clients.”

TAL’s Group CEO and Managing Director Fiona Macgregor said: “We’re excited to extend our partnership with MLC to design and develop an innovative retirement solution for MLC Expand platform clients. This partnership reflects our commitment to supporting Australians through every life stage.

“As millions of Australians prepare for life after work, TAL is proud to partner on solutions that deliver better outcomes for retirees.

Together, we’re focused on making retirement more secure and easier to navigate.”

Challenger’s CEO and Managing Director Nick Hamilton said: “Challenger is delighted to partner with MLC to support their customers and offer an innovative retirement solution for advisers and their clients.

“This is a pivotal moment in Australia, as retirement income moves from the sidelines into the mainstream. Backed by 40 years’ experience in retirement innovation, investment management and distribution, we’re proud to help lead this shift – through partnerships like this – that will enable more Australians to have financial security in retirement.

“Our deep experience in retirement income means Challenger is uniquely positioned to help MLC scale faster and support more Australians to build stronger, more confident retirement strategies.”

The post MLC announces retirement partnership with TAL and Challenger ahead of innovative retirement solution launch appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Stefan Gmuer

State Street Corporation (NYSE: STT) has announced that it has been selected by Challenger Limited, a publicly listed Australian investment management firm, to provide custody and, through State Street Alpha®, back-, middle- and front office investment administration services, for a suite of listed and unlisted investment vehicles with A$127 billion^[1]

In this new client relationship, State Street will be the custodian and investment administrator for the entire Challenger group, comprising funds management that includes the multi-affiliate platform Fidante, fixed income platform Challenger Investment Management, and Challenger Life, the leading provider of annuity products in the Australian market.

“This partnership is very important for State Street,” said Stefan Gmuer, head of Asia Pacific and head of Strategic Business Growth at State Street. “The mandate reaffirms our front to back proposition which brings value, scale and efficiency to our clients who are looking to accelerate their own growth and transformation. It also further cements our position as a leading provider of choice for large, sophisticated transactions.”

Challenger will be one of the largest investment managers in the region to deploy the State Street Alpha® platform, an asset servicing platform integrating the front, middle and back office from a single provider.

“State Street has a strong track record in servicing investment managers and institutional clients.” said Nick Hamilton, managing director and chief executive officer of Challenger. “Their leading technical capability, platform investment and global footprint will support our business and affiliates to help execute on the significant opportunity ahead, at the same time as delivering a high-quality service and innovation for our affiliates and clients.”

With this mandate, approximately 100 Challenger employees will transfer to State Street in October, after a period of consultation. They will continue to focus on investment administration services support for Challenger’s suite of listed and unlisted investment vehicles.

David Mackaway, the current chief executive officer of Artega, a venture which is majority-owned by Challenger, and members of his management team will also be joining State Street. Mackaway has more than 25 years of experience in the asset servicing and investment management industry and will bring tremendous expertise to State Street’s Australian business and the firm at large.

“As we welcome Challenger as a new partner, we are excited to be adding a large number of talented and experienced investment management and fund administration professionals to our team here in Australia,” said Tim Helyar, Australia country head at State Street. “By growing our talent pool, we are enhancing our capacity to meet and exceed the increasingly complex needs of our clients in Australia. We will continue to invest and strengthen our servicing capability as part of our commitment to the Australian market.”

———

Notes:
[1] Source: Magenta, as of June 30, 2024 in assets under management.

The post Challenger selects State Street as custodian and back, middle and front-office investment administrator through State Street Alpha® appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Nick Hamilton

Challenger Limited (ASX:CGF) announces it will extend the reinsurance partnership between Challenger Life and Mitsui Sumitomo Primary Life Insurance Company Limited (MS Primary)^[1].

Since November 2016, Challenger Life has successfully partnered with MS Primary, a leading annuities provider in Japan, to reinsure Australian dollar annuities. The arrangement has subsequently expanded to include US dollar and Japanese yen denominated annuities.

Under the new agreement, Challenger Life will continue to receive a quota share of reinsurance across Australian dollar, US dollar and Japanese yen denominated annuities issued in Japan by MS Primary, commencing from 1 July 2024.

MS Primary will provide to Challenger Life an annual amount of reinsurance of at least ¥50 billion per year (currently ~A$500 million^[2]

) for the next five years, subject to review in the event of a material adverse change for either MS Primary or Challenger Life.

Challenger Life will also support MS Primary with any new reinsurance requirements that MS Primary may have.

MS Primary is a subsidiary of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc., which holds 15% of Challenger’s issued share capital, and under a long-term strategic relationship has representation on the Challenger Limited Board.

Challenger’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Nick Hamilton said: “We are delighted to extend our reinsurance partnership with MS Primary. This reflects the strong, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship that we have developed over a number of years, and it was a privilege to celebrate the eighth year of our reinsurance partnership with a MS Primary delegation at our Sydney office this week.

“The arrangement that we’re announcing today also supports our focus on longer duration annuity business with the objective of improving the quality of Life’s annuity book growth and driving stronger returns.

“Challenger Life is an important reinsurance partner for MS Primary and we’re very pleased to continue to support its growth. We look forward to the continued success of our relationship and supporting MS Primary to provide financial security to its customers.”

MS Primary Executive Chairman, Yasuhiro Nagai said: “The extension of the reinsurance partnership demonstrates our commitment and confidence in Challenger. Challenger is a special business partner to MS Primary as a reliable reinsurer. More recently, our partnership has expanded to include asset management in Australia and Japan. We hope to continue to explore and exploit opportunities with Challenger to further mutual benefits and enhance the business partnership.”

——–

Notes:

1 Subject to execution of final legal documentation.

2 Based on 3-month average exchange rate at 20 May 2024.

The post Challenger extends MS Primary reinsurance partnership appeared first on AdviserVoice.

Nick Hamilton

Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation (CSC) will amplify its commitment to guiding customers to a comfortable retirement as it partners with Challenger, Australia’s leading provider of annuities, to launch the next stage of its Retirement Income Strategy (RIS) in early 2024.

With more than 745,000 customers and $63.3 billion^[1] in Funds under Management (FUM), CSC provides super products designed specifically for current and former members of the Australian Public Service (APS) and Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Its retirement solutions have been developed for customers as part of its RIS. Leveraging qualitative and quantitative research, CSC selected Challenger to provide a longevity solution to help meet its customers’ needs in retirement — that can be blended with its existing account-based pension, Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation retirement income (CSCri).

CSC CEO, Damian Hill, believes partnering with Challenger will be a boon for customers. “We are delighted to partner with Challenger, Australia’s largest provider of annuities,” he said.

“CSC has undertaken a detailed review of the options and providers available to help our customers address longevity risk in retirement, and Challenger is our selected industry leading provider.”

As Australia’s largest defined benefit pension provider, currently providing pensions to over 250,000 Australians, and a legacy of paying pensions for over 100 years, CSC’s RIS is an exciting steppingstone into a new century of serving those who served and their beneficiaries.

The strategy aims to provide customers with innovative retirement solutions and support and guidance, regardless of the path they choose in their retirement. Customers are guided through the use of customer cohort-based retirement profiles, simplifying their journey to accessing retirement income.

“We’ve developed a number of retirement income solutions tailored to different customers’ needs, based on grouping our customers into cohort-based retirement profiles,” Mr Hill said.

“The creation of these profiles was informed and guided by our customer research and independently reviewed by an external specialist. When we launch in early 2024 we’ll also provide customers with the support and guidance required to help them choose the retirement profile and solution that’s right for them. One that suits their balance of stability and sustainability of income, retaining the purchasing power of their income, as well as continuing to be able to access their capital.”

Challenger CEO and Managing Director, Nick Hamilton, said that he felt honoured that the partnership with CSC would support Australians who have served in the APS and ADF in their retirement.

“Like many older Australians, a significant cohort of CSC customers are worried their savings will run out, leading many to ‘under retire’ and unnecessarily reduce their quality of life. Leveraging our

expertise in managing longevity risk, CSC can now offer their customers a solution that will provide guaranteed income in retirement, and the confidence to draw down their savings,” Mr Hamilton said.

“Through our partnership, Challenger’s longevity solution will form part of CSC’s broader retirement income strategy, ensuring that their customers can access a simple solution at scale.”

CSC customers who may benefit from an annuity as part of their retirement solution will be referred to a CSC representative before finalising their decision. This will help to ensure that they have the support and guidance they need to make a confident and informed retirement income solution decision.

———

[1] As at 30 June 2023, CSC Annual Report 2022-23

The post CSC announces its Retirement Income Solution with Challenger appeared first on AdviserVoice.

AAM Head Teiki Benveniste said the Fund had been developed to meet the strong demand from Australian investors for strategies that aim to deliver high levels of income with a focus on capital preservation while lowering concentration risks in their investment portfolios.

“In this volatile, uncertain and low interest rate environment, investors are focused on finding reliable sources of higher income without risking severe capital losses and with better risk diversification than traditional investments in their portfolios. In Australia, a lot of investors looking for higher levels of income have historically invested in Australian bank equity or hybrid securities. Fixed income investments also have significant exposure to banks and structured products backed by local mortgages. The Ares Global Credit Income Fund seeks to meet this need for higher income and diversification in a different way.”

The Fund is an actively-managed dynamic and flexible strategy designed for shifting markets to generate steady income with a focus on capital preservation. Ares has delivered compelling risk-adjusted returns to investors for more than two decades through different cycles, with a demonstrated record of outperforming in times of market dislocation. Ares’ U.S. and London-based senior portfolio managers average more than 20 years of investing experience and have a long history of attractive performance in underwriting and managing credit across the Fund’s investable asset classes: corporate bonds, bank loans and asset backed securities.

The Fund has a target distribution of 3% to 4% per annum paid monthly. Seeking to generate stable income, the Fund expects to invest in a highly diversified portfolio of carefully selected credit issuers.

“Ares Australia Management’s ambition is to become one of Australia’s leading credit and alternative asset managers,” added Mr Benveniste. “With approximately 1,200 employees across the world and US$149 billion1 of assets under management, Ares Management Corporation has a leading and award winning investment platform that originates and manages investments across the full credit spectrum including corporate bonds, bank loans, private direct lending and asset-backed finance, as well as other alternative asset classes such as private equity, real estate and infrastructure. AAM will provide Australian investors access to these investment solutions to meet their investment needs.”

The Ares Global Credit Income Fund is the first of several products that AAM expects to launch in Australia over the next two years.

Looking specifically at the opportunity set in credit, over US$110 billion of Ares’ total AUM of US$149 billion is managed across the full credit spectrum.

David Sachs, Partner in Ares Management Corporation’s Strategy and Relationship Management Group said: “At Ares, a continued focus on capital preservation is paramount, and with local market presence in the United States and Europe, I believe Ares is well-positioned to capitalise on the convergence of the traditional and non-traditional credit markets.

“There is a US$4 trillion opportunity set across the U.S. and European corporate bond, bank loan and alternative credit markets. With our multi-asset framework designed to capture real-time shifts in relative value across asset classes, market dislocations, and idiosyncratic credit opportunities, we focus on assets that offer enhanced income and shorter duration.

“Our time-tested investment process with a focus on capital preservation has also delivered a low historical default rate. In corporate bonds and bank loans, Ares’ strategies have shown resilience in times of stress versus the broader market,” Mr Sachs added.

Challenger Funds Management Chief Executive Nick Hamilton said: “The joint venture with Ares is designed to bring Australian investors access to one of the world’s leading alternative credit managers. With the disruption seen globally from COVID-19, there is no more important time for the depth and skill of Ares who invest across the credit universe, an asset class that will continue to grow in importance for investors in Australia. The disruption across markets today is bringing the Ares investment team opportunities and the launch of the Ares Global Credit Income Fund is ideally timed.”

The post Ares Australia Management launches Ares Global Credit Income Fund appeared first on AdviserVoice.

As the new Head of AAM, Mr Benveniste will be based in Sydney and will be responsible for building strong investor interest in the specialist asset manager and for increasing assets under management as the joint venture launches a range of investment strategies. Mr Benveniste will also serve as a liaison with Fidante Partners, which will provide product distribution, local fund reporting and back office administration.

Mr Benveniste joins AAM after spending the last six and a half years at Macquarie Group, most recently as the lead Senior Investment Specialist for Macquarie Fixed Income in Australia, where he managed a team of investment and product specialists covering both retail and institutional investors. Prior to this, he was based in London for almost seven years at Société Générale where he held trading, credit analyst and sales roles for loan syndications across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has a Masters in Science in Finance and a Masters in Management from the French EDHEC Business School.

“Ares Australia Management will provide local investors and the country’s superannuation system with access to specialist investment expertise in credit and other alternative investments, which will play an important role in delivering high-quality diversified returns for investors’ portfolios,” said Mr Benveniste. “With persistently low global interest rates, investors need to find alternative ways to generate attractive income and to achieve targeted returns. Ares has a long track record of delivering high-quality investment solutions across a range of alternative investment strategies with a focus on managing downside risk with a disciplined and selective investment approach.”

AAM expects to launch its first credit fund in the coming months with further strategies to follow.

David Sachs, Partner of Ares Management Corporation said: “We are delighted to welcome Teiki to lead Ares Australia Management. We believe that his broad experience in fixed income investing in Australia and Europe positions him as an excellent leader to build investor interest in the funds and investment strategies of Ares within Australia and New Zealand and to seize the significant opportunities available in the region’s market.”

Challenger Funds Management Chief Executive Nick Hamilton said: “We are very pleased to have such a high-calibre and experienced professional in Teiki to head our efforts at AAM. Everything we do is centered on providing our retail and institutional customers with attractive fund management solutions.

This joint venture demonstrates our ability to attract leading investment managers globally and reach halfway around the world to bring a leading fund manager like Ares with high-quality products to our market.”

The post Teiki Benveniste appointed as Head of Ares Australia Management appeared first on AdviserVoice.

To support the joint venture, the two companies have formed Ares Australia Management (“AAM”), which will act as the investment manager for new investment vehicles specifically structured for investors in Australia and New Zealand.

AAM will be well positioned to benefit from the long-term trends and structural advantages driving increased demand for alternative investment products in the Australian market, including the significant and growing superannuation system in the country and the under allocation to global fixed income assets in investor portfolios. AAM combines Ares’ robust suite of proven investment strategies with Fidante’s broad retail and institutional investor distribution, local fund reporting and back office administration.

“As the Australian population continues to focus on growing and diversifying retirement assets in the country’s superannuation system, the corresponding increased demand for alternative investments with more stable income has created a tremendous opportunity for alternative asset managers,” said David Sachs, Partner of Ares. “We are pleased to enter into this strategic joint venture with Fidante, which will utilize its significant distribution expertise to meet the growing demand for higher returning investment products.”

Challenger Funds Management Chief Executive Nick Hamilton said, “Fidante’s strategy includes providing its customers with excellent funds management solutions and today’s announcement is a great example of how Fidante works to bring exceptional fund managers with high quality products to the Australian market. Ares is a leading alternative investment manager with global scale and a strong track record of delivering attractive returns for its investors. Fidante’s joint venture with Ares will provide local investors access to additional investment expertise in credit, which will play an important role in delivering high quality diversified returns for investor portfolios. We look forward to launching a range of investment strategies in collaboration with Ares and help build Ares Australia Management into a successful specialist asset manager.”

AAM will be governed by a Board of Directors consisting of representatives from Ares and Fidante and will be headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Ares’ Managing Director and Relationship Manager based in Australia, Bill Entwistle, will continue as a senior member of the Ares and Fidante relationship management effort in Australia.

The post Ares Management Corporation and Fidante Partners Announce Strategic Joint Venture in Australia appeared first on AdviserVoice.