Cbus grows in-house investment team

Cbus will boost its investment team, based both in Sydney and Melbourne, from 34 to 59 people in the coming months, according to a statement released yesterday.

The expansion of the investment team forms part of a new investment strategy and model drawn up by the fund's board.

ifa reported in June that Cbus was recruiting 30 specialist advisers for its in-house advice arm. 

As well as focusing on fees, when it comes to evaluating future investment opportunities, Cbus will now have "three overarching investment themes".

"[We are now] taking advantage of our long-term investment horizon, improving returns and investment opportunities by taking a total portfolio approach and targeting investments that have a positive impact on the real economy, particularly through the built environment," the statement said.

Cbus executive manager for investment strategy, Kristian Fok, said the new investment model will ensure Cbus delivers returns for members while making a "positive contribution to the economy and society".

"While retaining our current external managers, we’re focusing on the significant direct investment opportunities for Cbus in greenfield infrastructure and small to medium-size brownfield assets," Mr Fok said.

"Leveraging our unique value proposition gives us the ability to capture value at many points in greenfield developments through origination, execution and management of infrastructure investments.

"Internal Australian and international equities management also offers the opportunity to build capabilities to manage specific strategies that complement our existing managers," he said.

As well as boosting its investment team, Cbus will also be hiring staff specialising in legal and compliance, middle-office operations, communications, risk management and performance reporting.