Vanguard Australia, which has announced the establishment of Vanguard Super, has appointed Peggy O’Neal as its chair while Jeremy Duffield, Anne Flanagan and Cynthia Lui will also join the board of directors.
The launch of Vanguard Super would be subject to obtaining regulatory licences and successfully registering the fund, the firm said.
“The board brings decades of local and global experience to Vanguard Super. I am confident they will successfully lead our entry into the Australian superannuation market with a compelling offer that best serves our future members,” Vanguard Australia’s head of superannuation, Michael Lovett, said.
Lovett also acknowledged the current social and economic challenges facing the superannuation industry as a result of COVID-19.
“We will continue to refine our superannuation offer in the coming months, with the guidance of the board, and look forward to bringing it to Australians later this year,” he said.
“Vanguard prides itself on taking a stand for investors by providing access to low-cost, high-value investments that gives them the best chance for investment success. Vanguard Super will continue this mission through a fund designed to allow members to keep more of their savings and evolve with members right through their lifetimes.”
Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Coalition, which has pledged to reverse any changes if it wins next year’s election.
In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges.
Chant West analysis suggests super could be well placed to deliver a double-digit result by the end of the calendar year.
Specific valuation decisions made by the $88 billion fund at the beginning of the pandemic were “not adequate for the deteriorating market conditions”, according to the prudential regulator.