David Bluff, a former partner and managing director of The Carlyle Group, is set to lead private equity at Future Fund.
He had previously led or was actively involved in all Carlyle transactions in Australia and New Zealand for over a decade.
Before that, he was a corporate finance executive with SABMiller and investment banker with JP Morgan.
In this role, Bluff would report to Alicia Gregory, who had been acting head of private equity since 2021 when she was promoted to deputy chief investment officer.
Gregory said she was delighted to welcome an executive of Bluff’s calibre to the team.
“He has deep investment experience across private markets globally and is a well-respected leader in our industry. David joins an experienced team overseeing a significant, global portfolio of private equity investments,” she said.
Commenting on his appointment, Bluff said: “It’s a privilege to join the Future Fund team and to participate in such a large and diverse portfolio at a time of significant change in global financial markets”.
Alongside the appointment of Bluff, the Future Fund private equity team would also welcome Sarah Azzi as a director.
A principal at Mercer for four years covering global managers, her experience would also include six years as investment director at Anacacia Capital.
Established in 2006, the Future Fund was Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, holding $196 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2022.
