Funds SA deputy investment chief to depart

Funds SA will soon bid farewell to its deputy chief investment officer and director of equities.

After seven years with the fund, Matthew Kempton is leaving to take up a new opportunity in Melbourne with an industry super fund.

Kempton first joined Funds SA in 2018 as director of equities before being promoted to deputy chief investment officer as well in 2021.

He also served as acting chief investment officer for about eight months between the resignation of Richard Friend in May 2024 and commencement of Con Michalakis as chief investment officer in February.

He came from ESSSuper where he spent five years as head of investments after having been at Frontier Advisors for three years. Early in his career, he worked in transactions at ISPT.

Funds SA chief executive John Piteo thanked Kempton for his contribution to the fund.

"Matt has made a fantastic contribution to Funds SA and its clients, particularly in recent times, when he stepped into the chief investment officer role during a period of significant change within the business," Piteo said.

"He is a very talented investor and leader who will succeed wherever he goes. While we are sad to see him leave, family always comes first."

Meantime, Michalakis said he has enjoyed working alongside Kempton in recent months.

"It's been a pleasure working with Matt and developing a bond through a volatile period in the markets," he said.

"As much as Matt will leave a hole which will be hard to fill, I am extremely fortunate to have a strong and deep team at Funds SA who will continue to strive for excellent outcomes for our clients and members."