Australian Retirement Trust (ART) has confirmed the departure of a senior investment executive, just weeks after it was announced CEO Bernard Reilly will be stepping down next year.
It will bid farewell to deputy chief investment officer, Charles Woodhouse, who has held the role since February 2022.
Prior to the merger of Sunsuper and QSuper in early 2022 to form ART, Woodhouse had been with QSuper for over 12 years. He was chief investment officer for two and a half years and spent five months as CEO ahead of the merger.
It is understood Woodhouse has resigned to take up another opportunity and the fund will not be filling the role.
“Over his 15 years at QSuper and Australian Retirement Trust, Charles has been a valued leader who has demonstrated a clear commitment to our members,” said Ian Patrick, chief investment officer.
“We wish Charles all the best with his next role.”
Earlier this month, it was announced ART CEO Bernard Reilly will be departing the fund in February 2024.
In a statement, chair Andrew Fraser said: “Bern will leave an incredible legacy, having played an integral role in delivering Australia’s largest superannuation merger to create Australian Retirement Trust back in February 2022.
“Bern has expertly guided Australian Retirement Trust to deliver merger benefits to our more than 2.3 million members and grow funds under administration to more than $260b. But I think the thing Bern should be proudest of, and a true testament to his leadership capabilities, is the culture he has helped grow across our organisation.”
In April, the fund had unveiled changes to its investment team with the promotion of Andrew Fisher to head of investment strategy, replacing Damian Lillicrap, previously head of strategy for the QSuper portfolios.
ART is one of Australia’s largest super funds and comprises over 2.2 million members.
