EISS former chief executive, Alex Hutchison, says it was the “right time” for him to resign from the energy industry superannuation fund but that it was a result of a “calculated smear campaign”.
Hutchison resigned from the role after nine years last week which some media reports said followed an investigation into excessive sponsorship and bullying complaints.
“It was the right time for me to resign from EISS Super but regrettably my decision was brought forward by a calculated smear campaign, which was targeting me and my family. The pressure on my family had become unbearable,” he said.
“My family, like many Australian families, has always been involved with community-level organisations and it has been implied that their community involvement and service in some way led to a conflict of interest with sponsorships undertaken by EISS Super.
“This is untrue. All sponsorships and marketing activities were undertaken in a proper manner during my time as CEO.
“I am proud of my record at EISS Super and I remain a committed member of the fund.”
Hutchison said as part of the transformation of the fund after it became public offer, he recommended and the board approved a marketing strategy designed to raise brand awareness, from a low base, to retain EISS members and to attract new members.
“The strategy was multi-faceted. In addition to higher profile initiatives (such as our involvement with the NRL), we also, like many funds, supported local sports and community organisations in the areas where our current and prospective members live and work,” he said.
“I remain proud of the fact that in my time at EISS Super member fees did not rise, our funds under management doubled in size and we were on track to merge with another industry fund, which would further reduce costs to members while retaining the high-touch service model. When I left a memorandum of understanding had been signed.”
Large superannuation accounts may need to find funds outside their accounts or take the extreme step of selling non-liquid assets under the proposed $3 million super tax legislation, according to new analysis from ANU.
Economists have been left scrambling to recalibrate after the Reserve Bank wrong-footed markets on Tuesday, holding the cash rate steady despite widespread expectations of a cut.
A new Roy Morgan report has found retail super funds had the largest increase in customer satisfaction in the last year, but its record-high rating still lags other super categories.
In a sharp rebuke to market expectations, the Reserve Bank held the cash rate steady at 3.85 per cent on Tuesday, defying near-unanimous forecasts of a cut and signalling a more cautious approach to further easing.
If you were a Pleb and made that statement it is just a "Conspiracy Theory"