Our Team | Australian Governance Masters Index Fund Limited

Board of directors

Australian Governance Masters Index Fund is a listed investment company and has a majority independent board of directors, including an independent chairman. Details on the board of directors are below.

Jeff Whalan AO is Managing Director of the Jeff Whalan Learning Group a specialist human resources company. Jeff is also the Non-Executive Chairman of New Energy Solar Limited (ASX: NEW) and he was a senior executive officer in the Australian Public Service from 1990 to 2008.

Jeffrey was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2008 for his work as CEO of Centrelink. Among other things, the award recognised his achievements in ‘the development of corporate accountability processes’.

Jeffrey is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. As CEO of Centrelink, Jeffrey was responsible for the largest agency of the Australian Public Service, with $70 billion of government outlays and 27,000 staff. Prior to joining Centrelink, he was CEO of Medicare Australia.

Jeffrey Whalan AO

Chairman

Dr Ian Watt AC has worked for nearly 20 years at senior levels of the Australian public service. His most recent appointment was as Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and head of the Australian Public Service, from 2011 to 2014. Prior to that, he was Secretary of the Departments of Defence, Finance, and Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Before that, Ian was Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Ian is currently the Chair of the National Innovation and Science Agenda Implementation Committee, the International Centre for Democratic Partnerships, BAE Systems Australia Pty Ltd and the Smart Infrastructure Facility of the University of Wollongong.

Ian is on the boards of Citigroup Australia, CEDA, the Grattan Institute (University of Melbourne) and O’Connell Street Associates Pty Ltd, and is a member of the Australian National Audit Office Audit Committee.

Ian Watt AC

Director

Josephine is currently founding member, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Sandown Bay Resource Capital, a London-based mining private equity fund focused on turnaround investments in the junior mining sector. She is responsible for designing the investment process, governance structure, operation and compliance framework of the fund, as well as overseeing risk management, financial reporting and regulatory compliance.

Prior to her role at Sandown Bay, Josephine was a senior investment banker for UBS AG in both Melbourne and London. During her 10 years at UBS, she worked across various teams and industry sectors, including as part of the Australian Resources Group, the European Energy Group and the Global Industrials Group. Prior to this, she commenced her career at the Boston Consulting Group in Melbourne.

Josephine holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting and Finance, and a Bachelor of Science majoring in Computer Science and Statistics from the University of Melbourne.

Josephine Tan

Director

Nerida is currently Managing Director, Head of Advice at Dixon Advisory, and is a highly respected expert on superannuation, including self-managed super funds and retirement planning strategies.

Nerida is an Executive Director on the Board of Dixon Advisory Group, a member of the Investment Committee and Chair of the Compliance Committee.

Prior to her last 12 years at Dixon Advisory, Nerida worked for NAB Financial Planning and ANZ Bank, as well as five years of government experience.

A Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Nerida is a member of the Financial Services Council Advice Board Committee. She has a Bachelor of Commerce (UNE) and an Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning).

Nerida Cole

Director

The Investment Manager

The Investment Manager is responsible for the overall management of the company, including the construction, rebalancing, and ongoing monitoring of the investment portfolio, with the aim of increasing shareholder wealth through the performance of the company.

Will has a diverse background in finance and management, and brings extensive experience in research, analysis and evaluation of both financial and capital markets to Walsh & Company.

As Portfolio Manager, Will is primarily responsible for managing the investment process for the Australian Governance & Ethical Index Fund, a portfolio of the ASX 100’s top performing corporations evaluated on a range of governance, environmental and social standards.

Before joining Walsh & Company, Will was most recently an Associate Director with parent company Evans Dixon, primarily responsible for researching, structuring and executing capital market transactions across the group. Prior to the Evans Dixon merger, Will was Research Manager for Dixon Advisory, where he supported the Investment Committee with in-depth company and investment market research.

Will holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Finance and Accounting from the University of Melbourne in addition to a Master of Applied Finance from Macquarie University.

William Hart

Portfolio Manager

Matthew has extensive experience in the global asset management and financial services sectors, and his analytical skills, understanding of portfolio management and financial markets insight complement the investment management team.

Matthew’s career collectively spans almost two decades, including 10 years at Colonial First State Global Asset Management and five years in the global resources investment team as an analyst/equity dealer.

Matthew holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney. He is also a CFA charter holder.

Matthew Baillie

Senior Performance Analyst

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