An investment program putting people first

At First Super, we put our members first, and we also believe that as a steward of your super, the companies we invest your money in should put their people first.

Our Australian Private Equity program is an example of First Super’s commitment to responsible investment benefitting workers.

How it works

Many of our members will have their super invested in our Private Equity programme, which accounts for about 8% of the funds First Super manages.

In this program, we invest in private companies and entities that are not listed on the Australian stock exchange (ASX) through our investment managers, Stafford Partners.

First Super has a direct investment approach in this program, which means we choose each company we invest in rather than having that decision made for us by a third party. This gives us more control over who we invest in.

Before we invest, we follow a detailed process to investigate the way each company is run to make sure it fits our ESG requirements.

The big picture

As a direct investor with voting rights of the companies it invests in, First Super can influence how these companies are run. This means we play a role in improving labour relations, health and safety and supply chain management of these companies.

For example, First Super has persuaded companies it invests in to switch from mostly hiring contractors to employing them as permanent staff, which means their staff have greater stability and benefits.