Who we are
Profit for members
We’re an industry fund, so we’re run only to benefit our members – no one else.
A 30+ year history
We’ve been helping our members achieve their financial goals for over 30 years. Established in 1986 to look after super for office-based employees, today, people from all occupations and sectors can join CareSuper.
Supporting members' choices
We’re driven by a clear and genuine purpose: to help our members achieve their financial goals and a better lifestyle in retirement. Our members span generations, with different careers, life journeys and unique aspirations. We respect individuality and intend to make a positive difference to members’ lives. How? By offering choice and giving members access to advice and education opportunities to help them make decisions that could make a difference to their future financial situation.
For the professionally-minded
We’re the largest industry fund for professionally-minded, aspirational people across all occupations and sectors, who want a high-performing fund that fits their needs and aspirations. But we know the attributes of a professionally-minded fund appeal to people from all walks of life so we welcome anyone looking for a fund that embraces a ‘profit-to-member’ ethos and focuses on long-term investment performance, quality and simplicity.
Our SPIRIT
SPIRIT is the backbone of CareSuper – it defines the values we believe in and how we behave. SPIRIT stands for service, professionalism, integrity, relationships, innovation and teamwork.
WE’RE AN INDUSTRY SUPERFUND
The trademarks of industry super
As an Industry SuperFund, these are three things we live and breathe:
- Industry funds are run to benefit members, no one else.
- They have a history of keeping costs low. But not at the expense of your returns.
- Financial planners working in your best interests, not for commissions.
We’re part of a special group. Industry Super Australia represents the collective voice of 15 Industry SuperFunds, including us! Our shared goal is to give you the best possible retirement. Together, we work on research, policy, marketing and advocacy initiatives to improve the superannuation system for everyone.
Our workplace
Our executive team
Our executive team is united by a shared commitment to members. All executives have clear goals and their performance is formally reviewed at least once a year.
Julie Lander
CEO
Around 250,000 Australians trust us with their super. That’s a privilege and a responsibility we take very seriously.’
Julie is the CEO of CareSuper. She’s in charge of developing a business strategy and plan designed to help members and employers get the most out of their super fund. She oversees the implementation of these plans across the fund, with the support of the executive team.
Julie has over 30 years’ experience in superannuation, across both corporate and industry super funds. She joined CareSuper in 2001. Previously she worked in human resources in manufacturing and for membership organisations in the professional services industry. She was the National HR Manager for a major employer organisation.
Julie holds a Bachelor of Business, Certificate in Organisational Leadership and is RG146 qualified. She is a Director of Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), where she also serves on the Policy Committee. In addition, she is a Director of the Fund Executives Association Limited and the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals.
Suzanne Branton
Chief Investment Officer
‘Just like our members, I’m in this for the long-term.’
Suzanne is responsible for managing CareSuper’s $16 billion investment portfolio. She works with a team of internal investment analysts and external fund managers and advisers to maximise members’ returns, while maintaining a strong focus on governance.
Suzanne has over 25 years’ experience in financial markets, primarily in direct investment roles within superannuation and asset management. She has extensive, expert knowledge of portfolio management across asset classes and is experienced portfolio strategy and design, asset allocation, manager research and selection.
Suzanne joined CareSuper in February 2015. She previously worked in senior positions at Goldman Sachs, JBWere and another industry fund. She holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Mark Lyons
Executive Manager Corporate Services
‘A positive internal culture helps us build momentum, and in turn, create growth for members.’
Mark develops and implements CareSuper’s operational strategy across its people and culture, business intelligence, corporate finance and technology departments.
Mark has over 30 years’ experience working in financial services and other highly regulated industries. Before joining CareSuper in 2017, he held senior management positions in banking and local government, where he focused on delivering superior customer outcomes and business performance. His extensive experience includes corporate planning, governance, asset management and business improvement.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Business Administration. He is a qualified accountant and a member of CPA Australia.
Paul Northey
Executive Manager Relationships & Growth
‘Building valuable partnerships that last the distance is a huge part of what my team does.’
Paul drives the fund’s growth and retention strategies and leads the client and member facing teams.
Paul’s experience includes senior executive roles in superannuation and funds management, financial planning, general and life insurance and banking. He was previously the General Manager of RACV Insurance and prior to that, the Director of Wealth Management for a prominent international banking group. He also led the distribution and marketing teams of major wealth management firms. He joined CareSuper in 2017.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Business and a Diploma of Financial Planning. He is a graduate of the Senior Executive Programme at the London Business School and studied executive development at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia.
Paul is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Belinda Ray
Executive Manager Governance & Risk, and Company Secretary
‘We protect the things that matter – like your money, and the way it’s managed.’
Belinda leads CareSuper’s Compliance and Risk team in identifying and managing governance and risk. She is also the corporate company secretary.
Belinda has over 18 years’ experience in superannuation consulting, auditing and accounting, starting as an auditor for Ernst & Young. Later, she moved on to hold several senior roles at Towers Watson, including Senior Consultant for corporate super funds and Head of Research, Information and Compliance. She joined CareSuper in 2012.
Belinda holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Information Systems) and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Rachel Reynolds
Executive Manager Operations
‘We don’t just focus on keeping the wheels turning. We look for ways to make the ride smoother.’
Rachel is responsible for ensuring CareSuper’s services continue to meet the evolving needs of members and employers in a cost-efficient fashion. She leads and oversees the operational strategy of the fund’s administration and insurance products.
Rachel has close to 20 years’ experience in the superannuation industry, and first joined CareSuper in 2015. She previously worked in operations management at law firms and other superannuation funds.
Rachel holds an Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Superannuation). She has also completed several continuous improvement programs, focused on delivering efficient and effective processes and services.
Peter Theodorakopoulos
Executive Manager Marketing & Brand Strategy
'We’ll listen to your individual definition of success, then provide you the tools to achieve it.'
Peter oversees CareSuper’s marketing strategy. He also manages member and employer communications, educational resources, business support and a range of additional benefits offered through the fund, like tax support and home and contents insurance.
Peter has over 20 years’ experience in the superannuation industry, and joined CareSuper in 2002. He’s held roles in marketing, sales, relationship management, sponsorship agreements and product development for both corporate and industry super funds.
He is RG146 qualified and a Fellow of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia.
Good to great
We’re always striving to ensure that CareSuper is a great place to work as we believe engaged employees do their best work for members. Each year we survey our staff to see how they view working at the fund and we’re pleased to report they are strongly aligned with our purpose. In 2018, we created a new cross-functional working group aimed at taking our workplace from good to great in a continually evolving landscape.
Using the results of the engagement survey, the Good to Great working group identified scope for further improvement and was responsible for several initiatives this year, including enhancement of our Health & Wellbeing program, a revamped Reward & Recognition Program and V2V Fridays, which encourages more voice-to-voice communication between team members (rather than always relying on email).
Diversity enhances results
It’s our view that having a broad range of views and experiences represented at board, executive and staff level is essential for quality decision-making and we consciously seek diversity across gender, age, skills and professional backgrounds. This is also represented in our Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
When we’re seeking to fill director vacancies, we ask nominating organisations to consider gender diversity, along with skills criteria, when proposing candidates. Similarly, we recruit staff on merit, considering the skills, qualifications, experience and other attributes required to perform the role and contribute to the team, and we consider gender balance when recruiting and promoting staff. Through the annual remuneration review, analysis is conducted on outcomes based on gender and other factors. CareSuper offers flexible work practices to enable staff with family responsibilities and for other reasons to work non-standard hours or from home. We’re proud of the diversity of our team, noting the gender-based statistics below.
Gender diversity at 30 June 2019
| Gender diversity at 30 June 2019 | ||
| Category | Women | Men |
| Board | 6 | 4 |
| Executive team | 4 | 3 |
| Middle managers | 6 | 7 |
| Other staff | 56 | 43 |
Gender by age split at 30 June 2019 (excluding Board members)
| Gender split by age | ||||
| Category | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50+ |
| Male | 9 | 16 | 22 | 6 |
| Female | 7 | 35 | 19 | 5 |
How we remunerate staff
Our remuneration policy directs that:
- We provide staff with a fair, equitable and competitive remuneration framework that recognises and rewards individual contribution
- We attract, retain and reward our people appropriately
- Our remuneration reflects the market we compete in for the capabilities we require
- Our remuneration is consistent with our values and profit-to-members ethos.
We remunerate our staff via fixed salary packages. Each position is assessed on the skills, experience, level of responsibility and other relevant factors required to fulfil the role. Annually, we source relevant market data to benchmark the salaries of each position within our trustee office. All staff are paid within the range for their role. The annual salaries budget and total increases are approved by our Governance and Remuneration Committee.
| Staff total salary package range at 30 June 2019 | |
| Salary range | Number of staff |
| $50,000 - $100,000 | 37 |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 71 |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 6 |
| $300,000 - $400,000 | 3 |
| $400,000 - $600,000 | 2 |
Our awards
While we were busy working hard for members, we won these awards.
Our net benefit
We’re a profit-to-member fund so we only charge fees to cover costs, not to make a profit to pay shareholder dividends.
While we work hard to keep our costs low, we’re driven by providing quality services, relevant choices and strong results – not by being the cheapest – because we know when it comes to our members’ super, it’s the overall benefit that counts.
The result? Over 15 years to 30 June 2019, our Balanced option returned over $60,000 more than the average of all surveyed retail funds and outperformed the average of all surveyed industry funds by over $18,000.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Comparisons modelled by SuperRatings as at 30 June 2019, commissioned by CareSuper. Assumes a starting balance of $50,000 and initial salary of $50,000 and considers historical earnings and fees — excluding contributions, entry, exit and adviser fees. Compares the average difference in net benefit performance of CareSuper’s Balanced option and the balanced options of funds tracked by SuperRatings, including 90 funds with a 15-year performance history. Outcomes vary between funds. See caresuper.com.au/assumptions for more details about modelling calculations and assumptions.
Service providers
It’s important to partner with the best possible providers to help us excel at what we do and fit with our members’ needs.
On 29 March 2019, we transitioned to a new administration services provider, Mercer.
Before appointing (and when reviewing) service providers, we apply rigorous due diligence processes and ask them to attest to their relevant credentials and demonstrate that they meet their compliance requirements annually.
All material service providers, as well as our Insurer, Metlife, have been requested to provide annual attestations.
Here’s a list of our significant service providers.
*Indicates a material outsourced provider
^On 29 March 2019, we transitioned our Administration from Australian Administration Services Pty Ltd to Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd.
See a full list of our Investment managers here.
About our administration service provider
Like most large super funds, in order to realise benefits of scale, we outsource some of our services (like our inbound contact centre, online systems and fund administration and payment processing functions) to an external specialist service provider with a dedicated CareSuper team (think of this team as an extension of our fund).
To meet our members’ changing needs and set ourselves up for the future, we transitioned our administration service provider to Mercer in March 2019.
This arrangement has already delivered benefits to our members including:
- A new online member portal and app
- Reduced fees for our pension members
- Reduced fees for members in our Direct Investment option
- Increased and more integrated financial advice services
- More transactions able to be made online and over the phone, and
- Daily unit pricing (previously weekly), which provides more flexibility for members to switch their investments.
Mercer is one of the world’s leading service providers and has been providing superannuation and investment advice in Australia for over 40 years. It provides fully-outsourced administration for several of Australia’s largest super funds. Mercer was selected for its state of the art technology, world-class customer service and experience managing super administration of more than 2.5 million super accounts in Australia.