Episode 287: Matt Whineray: Former CEO of NZ Super Fund: Towards a Total Fund Portfolio Approach

The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Matt Whineray recently retired from the role of Chief Executive Officer at the NZ$77 bn NZ Super Fund, where he had spent close to 16 years in a series of roles, culminating in CEO but which included 4 years as CIO. He previously worked in a series of corporate finance roles, and currently holds a number of Chair and Board roles.

Our conversation starts with his early career in finance, which saw him move from New Zealand to New York and Hong Kong. We discuss the moment he knew that he wanted to take his family back to New Zealand and its natural bounty and how he acted upon that. Moving then to his role at the NZ Super Fund we discuss the nature of the entity, its governance and overarching objective.

As one of the instigators of a total fund portfolio approach, we dig in in some detail as to what that means and how it evolved. There are various other unique characteristics of NZ Super too and Matt discusses its commitments around sustainable investing and what return and volatility it could tolerate.

We end with Matt’s current chapter, a retirement that includes a portfolio of board roles including Netball New Zealand as well as a good deal of travel. This is a fascinating insight into a unique institution that punches well above its weight in investment innovation.

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