Who is taking over as the new chief investment officer of AustralianSuper?

Shaun Manuell, an internal veteran who has been with the fund since 2013, has been appointed as the next chief investment officer (CIO) of AustralianSuper. He will succeed the outgoing CIO, Mark Delaney, who is scheduled to retire at the end of June 2026.

Why is the chief investment officer role at AustralianSuper considered so high-profile?

The role is one of the most prominent in Australia’s superannuation industry because AustralianSuper is the nation's largest pension fund.

What is AustralianSuper's projected asset growth by 2030?

AustralianSuper is currently on an aggressive growth trajectory and forecasts that its total funds under management could reach A$600 billion by the year 2030. This expected scale is a primary driver behind the fund's shifting investment and management strategies.

What was Shaun Manuell’s track record before being named CIO of AustralianSuper?

For the past 13 years, Manuell led AustralianSuper’s Australian equities team, navigating a massive scale-up in operations. Under his leadership, the value of the fund's internally managed equities grew from a modest A$1 billion to a colossal A$100 billion.

What structural shift in the Australian superannuation industry does this appointment underscore?

Manuell's promotion highlights a broader industry shift where major pension funds are moving away from outsourcing asset management to external firms. Instead, they are increasingly building active, sophisticated in-house investment teams to manage their portfolios directly.

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AustralianSuper names Shaun Manuell as new CIO

Written by Liezl GambePublished May. 27 2026Last Updated May. 27 2026

AustralianSuper, the nation’s largest superannuation fund, appointed long-serving insider Shaun Manuell as its next chief investment officer, succeeding Mark Delaney, who will retire at the end of June.

Managing $410 billion in assets, the appointment places Manuell at the helm of one of the most high-profile roles in Australia’s pension sector.

The fund is currently on a growth trajectory, with projections suggesting its total funds under management could reach $600 billion by 2030.

For the past 13 years, he has led AustralianSuper’s Australian equities team, overseeing an astronomical rise in internally managed equities from a modest $1 billion to a colossal $100 billion.

His elevation underscores a broader structural shift within the local superannuation landscape.

While Australian pension funds historically outsourced the management of their equity investments to external firms, major players have increasingly prioritised building highly sophisticated, active in-house capabilities to cut costs and maximise returns.

The fund confirmed that approximately 60% of its total portfolio is now managed internally.

AustralianSuper has built a global footprint, employing more than 400 in-house investment specialists deployed in key financial markets around the world.

Manuell will assume the top investment job with a mandate to navigate volatile global markets while sustaining this rapid international expansion.