MFSS2011 Judging Panel – Investment Stewardship Award

MFSS – VFMC Investment Stewardship Award

Judge   Details
John Gall

John Gall
- Chair		 John Gall has extensive experience in Australia’s financial services sector, especially in institutional funds management across asset classes such as; global equities, global bonds and property.In March 2006, he retired as Managing Director, Franklin Templeton Investments Australia Limited.Prior to this role, Mr. Gall served as the representative for Fiduciary Trust International (in Australia and New Zealand) from 1994 to 1999 (when the firm first established its Australian subsidiary).
Paula Allen Paula is a Director of State Trustees, the Chairman of their Investment Committee and a Member of their Compliance Committee. Ms Allen was previously Chief Executive Officer of the Bellwether Group and, prior to that, of LUCRF Super.She also helped establish a funds management business at Salta Properties in her role as Operations Manager. Other positions held have included strategic and operational roles at Colonial Investments and Bankers Trust.

Ms Allen is a member of the Business Advisory Committee to ASIC, she is a past Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Vic), and she holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant in Australia.She also has extensive international work experience in the financial services sector.
Helga Birgen
Helga Birgden		 Helga Birgden is the leader of Mercer’s Responsible Investment business in the Asia Pacific and provides clients with advice on formulating and integrating RI policies into their investment programs.She also undertakes research into regional RI-specific investment management products, and assesses the extent to which mainstream fund managers vote, engage and assess environmental, social and corporate governance issues in the region. Helga has more than 14 years experience working with superannuation and pension funds and asset managers on voting, corporate engagement and regulatory reform in key markets nationally and globally.Prior to joining Mercer, Helga was Manager of Governance and Sustainable Investment at UniSuper, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds, where she developed and managed the fund’s investment governance policies and sustainable investment program.
Paul Cutts
Paul Cutts		 Paul Cutts, Managing Director, Northern Trust Australia. Based in our Melbourne office, Paul Cutts is responsible for the overall governance of Northern Trust’s business across Australia and New Zealand.Northern Trust is leading it’s strategy in this with global custody and related services to institutional clients.Paul has over twenty years of industry experience. Since joining Northern Trust in 1993, Cutts has held a number of roles.Before relocating to Australia, he was located in the Netherlands, where he was responsible for the establishment of our Dutch branch and the development of Northern Trust’s business in that market.Previously Paul was located in Northern Trust’s London office where he held a number of management positions including responsibility for the delivery of client reporting services and the management of Relationship Management teams across Europe, Middle East and Africa.Paul has worked with a range of financial institutions in both the private and public sector. Notably, Paul has worked closely with central banks, governmental and intergovernmental organisations to assist the functioning of financial models to support pension systems, economic/social development and the provision of aid programs.

Paul is an executive board member of the Australian Custodial Services Association.
Sylvia Falzon
Silvia Falzon		 Sylvia Falzon has over 26 years experience in the financial services industry including a number of senior executive roles with Aviva Investors Australia Limited, AXA Investment Management and Alpha Investment Management.

She is a lecturer and task force member at Finsia and was awarded a Senior Fellowship for her contribution to the industry.

 She holds a Bachelor of Business from The University of Western Sydney and a Master of Industrial Relations (Honours) from The University of Sydney.
Andrew Goddard
Andrew Goddard		 Andrew Goddard Consulting provides actuarial, investment and general consulting services.  Until February 2008 Andrew was Director of Alternative Assets & Strategies at Russell Investments. This role entailed managing research into investment opportunities in the areas of private equity, infrastructure, timberland and funds of hedge funds.

From 1988 until late 2007 he was relationship manager and principal advisor to one of Towers Perrin’s and then Russell’s largest Australian clients. During this period he managed actuarial consulting, communications consulting and investment consulting units at various times.When Towers Perrin set up its subsidiary TRM as a trustee company in 1998 he served on TRM’s Board, initially as Chairman.He is a member of the Investment Committee of the Foundation for Young Australians.

Paul Murray		 Paul Murray is Head of Debt and Absolute Returns at VFMC. Mr Murray joined VFMC in July 2004 and has 20 years experience in financial markets and funds management. He leads the investment management of VFMC’s debt and absolute return portfolios.Previous employers include Macquarie Funds Management, Bankers Trust Australia and The Reserve Bank of Australia.Mr Murray holds a a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) degree from the University of Melbourne, and a Diploma in Applied Finance from the Securities Institute of Australia.
Prof Deborah Ralston
Prof Deborah Ralston		 Professor Deborah Ralston is the Director of the Australian Centre for Financial Studies and a Professor of Finance at Monash University. Previous appointments include Pro Vice Chancellor of the Division of Business Law and Information Science at the University of Canberra, and Director of the Centre for Australian Financial Institutions at the University of Southern Queensland.Deborah’s academic background is in economics and financial management and she has taught in the areas of economics, corporate finance, credit risk management, financial statement analysis and financial institutions management.Her research interests include the impact of financial regulation, the strategy and management of financial institutions and regional economic development. She has published widely in these areas and is a co-author of the text Financial Institutions Management.Deborah is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and the Australian Society of Certified Practising Accountants. Deborah was formerly a Director of Heritage Building Society 1992-2003 and is currently a Director of the listed mortgage broking company Mortgage Choice.