Vanguard Super adds corporate affairs stalwart to board

Vanguard Super has announced the appointment of Robin Bowerman as a “Vanguard-nominated” non-executive director to its trustee board.

Bowerman was previously the head of retail at Vanguard Investments Australia, later becoming head of the company’s corporate affairs group, and was a member of the Australian executive team.

He has also served on the board of the SMSF Association and, according to Vanguard Super, has provided his expertise to a range of superannuation and investment industry forums.

“We are delighted that Robin has joined the trustee board as a Vanguard-nominated director,” said Vanguard Super chair Peggy O’Neal.

“Robin had a distinguished career at Vanguard Investments Australia and made significant contributions in the launches of Vanguard Personal Investor and Vanguard Super.

“His passion and dedication to the financial wellbeing of Australian investors are well placed in putting the retirement needs of our members front and centre.”

Vanguard Super clarified that the appointment coincides with Vanguard’s global chief marketing officer and chief communications officer Colin Kelton stepping down from the trustee board.

As such, O’Neal also paid tribute to Kelton’s contributions during his tenure as a non-executive director.

“We’re grateful for the leadership and experience Colin has brought to the trustee board over the past three years, leveraging his experience in the Australian market as managing director for Vanguard Investments Australia from 2015 to 2018, and his over 30 years’ experience in various roles at Vanguard,” she said.

Earlier this month, Vanguard Super reported a return of 13.2 per cent from its MySuper Lifecycle investment option – its default option for members under the age of 47 – for the 2023–24 financial year.

According to the fund, as a result of the fee reductions, its default MySuper Lifecycle product is one of the lowest-cost MySuper strategies in the industry.

The results marked Vanguard Super’s first full financial year since its launch in November 2022.

“At Vanguard, our focus is on delivering long-term, steady investment value to our members. While it is still early days, we have certainly started strong,” Duncan Burns, Vanguard Asia-Pacific chief investment officer, said at the time.

“By using indexed solutions for all Vanguard Super products, we’ve been able to keep our costs low while still delivering value and strong performance for our members so they can retire with confidence.”

The fund now holds nearly $1.5 billion in funds under management.