Challenger hires Aware Super’s Damian Graham as group CIO

The firm has appointed Aware Super’s Damian Graham as group chief investment officer to unify its life and funds management teams.

Challenger has appointed Aware Super’s long-serving chief investment officer, Damian Graham, to the newly created role of group chief investment officer, effective January 2026.

The appointment marks a significant talent shift within Australia’s superannuation and retirement landscape, with Graham departing one of the nation’s largest super funds to lead Challenger’s integrated investment strategy.

The new position will bring together investment teams from Challenger Life and funds management under a single leadership structure.

Graham has spent more than three decades in investment management, including the past nine years at Aware Super, where he oversaw a $205 billion portfolio and a team of 170 professionals.

He also played a key role in the fund’s international expansion, including its 2023 entry into the United Kingdom.

Before joining Aware Super, he was chief investment officer at StatePlus and held senior roles at Macquarie Group, J.P. Morgan and Norwich Investment Management.

Challenger managing director and chief executive officer Nick Hamilton says Graham’s appointment reflects the company’s ambition to strengthen its investment platform and scale its retirement income capabilities.

“I am delighted to welcome Damian to Challenger as our group chief investment officer,” Hamilton says. “Damian has extensive experience and knowledge in leading investment management strategies, particularly in the superannuation and retirement industry in Australia.”

“His skills and investment leadership will be invaluable as we bring together our talented investment teams at Challenger, driving our continued focus on investment excellence and delivering on our purpose to provide customers with financial security for a better retirement.”

Graham says he is excited to join Challenger at a time of growing demand for retirement income solutions.

“Challenger is a well-known and respected institution in Australia with an important role in helping people have financial confidence in their retirement,” he says.

“Being part of the opportunity to support more Australians build better retirements is an exciting challenge that I believe I can bring my experience, passion and energy to help take forward. I look forward to working with the talented investment teams at Challenger and meeting key customers and partners.”

Challenger says the creation of the group chief investment officer role underscores its strategy to align investment operations and deepen leadership capability across its life and funds management divisions, positioning the company to capture growth in Australia’s evolving retirement market.

Preceding this, Graham had announced that he would step down from the CIO role at Aware Super following his 12 years of service and the fund named Simon Warner, its head of portfolio management, as his successor following a global executive search.

Warner, who will lead Aware Super’s $205 billion portfolio and 160-person investment team, previously held senior roles at AMP and JPMorgan Chase and is set to commence with his new role on 1 December 2025.

Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart said Warner’s appointment ensures continuity of the fund’s investment strategy and governance, citing his “exceptional leadership” and “deep expertise across public and private markets.”