STATE SUPER - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employee Representative
Mr Claassens has been on our board since 2012 and is the Chair of the Member Services Committee, Chair of the People & Culture Committee and appointed Deputy Chair of the Police Superannuation Advisory Committee (PSAC). He is currently the State Secretary and National Executive Member of the NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Director of Australian Mutual Bank and is an Elected Director of Transport Heritage NSW where he is the Deputy Chair of the Transport Heritage Board and is also the Chair of its Safety Committee.
Mr Claassens is an experienced board member having held numerous positions in the Mutual Credit Union sector and has been involved in several mergers. He is currently serving on the Board of Australian Mutual Bank and as a member of its Risk Committee. Mr Claassens has been part of the Sydney Alliance Community Building Board since 2013. He is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees.
Mr Claassens has a passion for the transport industry, having begun his career driving trains on the NSW rail network and still drives passenger trains and heritage steam locomotives on a regular basis.
Allan Parapuram - Chief Legal Officer, Secretary
Job Titles:
- Company Secretary
- General Counsel
Mr O'Grady has over 15 years' experience as a trustee director of superannuation funds. Initially, between 2005 and 2010, with Private Hospitals Superannuation Pty Ltd - the Trustee for Health Industry Plan and with State Super since June 2013.
Mr O'Grady has more than 30 years' experience in the union movement, having worked for the New South Wales Nurses and Midwives' Association between 1987 and 2018. He worked as an organiser, industrial officer, team manager and projects manager. In 2004 he moved into administrative roles, initially as Manager Administrative Services, and from August 2006 to August 2018 as Manager Projects and Compliance. This latter role involved responsibility for managing the Finance, Information Technology, and Records and Information Teams with a focus on budget, audit, risk and compliance. He also served as the Association's Privacy Officer during this period.
Mr O'Grady served on the Risk and Audit Committee whilst a Director of HIP. He has been a member of State Super's Member Services Committee since 2013 and a member of State Super's Risk, Audit and Compliance Committee since December 2014.
Mr O'Grady holds a Graduate Diploma in Employment Relations from the University of Technology, Sydney and a Certificate in Nursing, which he completed at Royal North Shore Hospital.
Mr Johnson has extensive experience in financial services management in Australia and overseas. He retired from Barclays Capital in 2012 after serving as Chief Executive Officer for Australia from 1998 to 2009 and as Managing Director, Senior Relationship Management. He had previously held senior positions with the Commonwealth Bank, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse. His financial sector experience includes roles as Head of Operations and of IT systems development in major investment banks as well as extensive involvement with investing in Unlisted Asset sectors.
Mr Johnson's previous appointments include member of the NSW Generations Fund Advisory Board, Chairman of Pillar Administration (a provider of administrative services to the superannuation industry, including to State Super), Chairman of the National Art School, Chairman of The Sydney Institute and an Advisory Board Member of the North-West Rail Link project.
Mr Johnson holds a Master of Arts from Oxford University and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employer Representative
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employee Representative
Ms Bolger has extensive experience as a professional trustee director, having served on a range of industry fund and related boards for the last 20 years. She is currently a Director of Professionals Australia and the President of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and a Director of the Centre for Workers Capital and Indara Corporation. Ms Bolger is also a trustee of Unions NSW.
Ms Bolger is actively involved in helping shape superannuation policy to improve outcomes for working Australians. As President of AIST she oversaw the development and implementation of the Governance Code for Boards of Industry Superannuation funds. Ms Bolger chaired the ACTU Group responsible for developing the ACTU Guide on Just Transition for investors and asset managers providing guidance and measures on how to secure a just transition for workers.
Ms Bolger holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Labour Law and Relations from the University of Sydney, an RG146 Qualification and Super Springboard Level 1 from the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees. She is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employer Representative
Ms Yuncken has over thirty years' commercial and executive leadership experience in the financial services industry. She is currently a Non-Executive Director of FleetPartners Group Limited (ASX:FPR) and Managing Director of See Y Pty Ltd, a commercial and financial advisory consultancy that provides advisory services to government and business clients.
Ms Yuncken's past directorships include Chair of BT Private Nominees, Chair of the St George and Sutherland Medical Research Foundation, Executive Director of the Advisory Boards of BankSA and Bank of Melbourne, and Non-Executive Director of Fitted for Work.
Ms Yuncken's executive career included corporate finance and investment banking roles at Bank of America and Barclays Capital, and senior commercial leadership roles at GE Capital, Commonwealth Bank's institutional bank, and the multi-brand business banking and private wealth businesses of Westpac Group.
Ms Yuncken holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from UNSW, an Executive Certificate of Strategy and Innovation from MIT Sloan Business School, and is a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Charles Wu - Chief Investment Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Investment Officer
- Executive
Mr Wu was appointed CIO in December 2020 and leads State Super's internal Investment team. He is responsible for determining and executing the Fund's investment policies and objectives, determining asset allocation, and implementing and monitoring the Fund's investment arrangements. Mr Wu is acknowledged across the industry for his expertise in the use of machine learning (artificial intelligence) within pension funds and has helped bring State Super to the forefront of this exciting development.
Mr Wu joined State Super in 2015 and was previously an Investment Manager at Media Super and an analyst at Mercer. He holds a Master of Commerce and a Bachelor of Computer Engineering and is a Chartered Financial Analyst holder. In 2020 he was appointed President at Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society Sydney.
Mr Gabriel leads State Super's internal Investment and Actuarial teams and is responsible for determining and executing the Fund's investment strategies. This includes developing investment policies and objectives, determining asset allocation, and implementing and monitoring the Fund's investment arrangements. Mr Gabriel is also responsible for overseeing the Fund's key partnerships with its investment advisors, managers and other related service providers.
Mr Gabriel has more than 25 years' experience in institutional investment, spanning investment strategy formulation, portfolio construction and risk management, and investment management across global listed and unlisted asset classes. Prior roles include General Manager of Portfolio Strategy and Risk at HESTA, Managing Director (Asia Pacific) for Wilshire Associates, Head of Private Markets at the Future Fund, and Head of Private Markets at UniSuper.
Mr Gabriel holds a Bachelor of Economic Science from the University of Witwatersrand and a Certificate in Actuarial Techniques from the Institute of Actuaries. He is also a CFA Charter holder and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Job Titles:
- Chief Risk Officer and Audit Executive
Job Titles:
- Executive
- General Manager
- General Manager, Defined Contribution Investments
Mr Hazell was appointed General Manager, Defined Contribution Investments effective 1 September 2021. He has responsibility for oversight of the defined contributions portfolio and team. He will be working closely with fund managers, the investment consultant and custodian to ensure that State Super meets its obligations to members.
Mr Hazell has over two decades of experience in the superannuation and investment management industry. He was previously the Chief Investment Officer of the Crescent Wealth Super fund, a Sydney based ethical superannuation fund. Prior to this he held senior investment and leadership roles within the MLC Asset Management business over a tenure of 18 years.
Mr Hazell holds a Master of Finance from the University of New South Wales, a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney, a Diploma of Financial Services from the Financial Planning Association and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).
Mr Hazell spent time in the Australian Army during the 1990s and now serves as a volunteer non-executive director on the RSL NSW Board. The RSL NSW's charitable purpose is to provide assistance, care and relief for current and former members of the Australian Defence Force and their families.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Executive
Mr Livanas leads a team of experienced senior executives in managing the provision of member services and the investment of approximately $38 billion of assets (as at 30 June 2022).
Mr Livanas has over 30 years' industry experience, having worked in organisations including Deloitte South Africa, the South African Government Employees Pension Fund - the precursor to the country's sovereign fund - and several Australian superannuation funds.
Prior to his appointment in October 2011, Mr Livanas was the Chief Executive Officer of AMIST Super (2008-11) and the General Manager of FuturePlus Financial Services (2002-08). He was a Director of ISPT and ISPT Grosvenor International Property Trust from 2010-12 and in August 2013 was appointed to the Board of the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors.
Mr Livanas holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and an MBA from the University of Witwatersrand and a Graduate Diploma of Finance and Investments from the Financial Services Institute of Australia. He is an ASFA-accredited Investment Fiduciary and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Job Titles:
- General Manager, Defined Benefits, Assets & Liabilities
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employer Representative
Ms Rasmussen is currently the Chief Executive, Investments for the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave Funding) Corporation where she is responsible for overseeing their investment portfolio. She is also a former Director of Equip and Togethr Trustees, which was formed following the joint venture between Equip and Catholic Super.
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Executive
- Chief Financial Officer and General Manager Corporate Services
Mr Patel is the Chief Financial Officer and General Manager Corporate Services, responsible for directing and managing the financial and investment operational activities of the organisation and ensuring the implementation of overall organisational strategy.
Mr Patel has over 25 years' senior executive experience in funds management, investment banking and financial services. Prior to joining the organisation, he was AMP Capital's Chief Financial Officer and later Chief Operating Officer, Asia. He has held senior finance, strategy and M&A roles with leading ASX 100 companies. He commenced his career with Arthur Andersen in London and has worked extensively in Europe and Asia.
Mr Patel is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Economics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Solicitor
- Board Member - Employer Representative
Mr Mason is a qualified solicitor, having graduated from Macquarie University with a BA/LLB, and was previously a director of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA). Following over 30 years active involvement in both the Board and NSW Executive he was made a Life Member of ASFA in 2018. In addition he is the Chair of the Editorial Board of Superfunds magazine and a member of the ASFA Member Engagement Committee.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW
- Board Member - Employee Representative
Mr Costa is the Assistant Secretary of Unions NSW, where his responsibilities include managing the NSW peak union's communications and digital team and also its research and industrial strategy.
Mr Costa is also responsible for the coordination of Unions NSW's Visa Assist Project. A partnership with the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC), Visa Assist was launched in 2019 to assist unions in representing and advocating for migrants and in particular the project provides free immigration legal support and advice to migrants who are union members.
Prior to his role at Unions NSW, Thomas worked as an industrial officer and lawyer with the national offices of the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union and the Australian Workers' Union. He has also worked as a solicitor for Slater & Gordon Lawyers and the HIV Aids Legal Centre (HALC).
Mr Costa commenced his four-year term in February 2023.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member - Employee Representative