Suzanne Branton

Chief Investment Officer

‘Delivering strong long-term returns to members is our goal.’

Suzanne is responsible for the management of CareSuper’s investment portfolio and leads a team of dedicated investment professionals. She works closely with the CareSuper Board and Investment Committee to develop the fund’s investment strategy for the benefit of CareSuper members while maintaining a strong focus on investment governance and risk.

A proven leader with more than 28 years’ experience in financial markets, primarily within superannuation and asset management, Suzanne has extensive, expert knowledge of portfolio management across asset classes. She is experienced in portfolio strategy and design, asset allocation, manager research and selection. Suzanne has managed the investments of profit-to-member super funds for the past 15 years. Prior to this, she held various senior positions in investment strategy and financial market economics at Goldman Sachs and JBWere.

Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance. She is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.

Articles by Suzanne Branton

A fantastic year for members – 2020/21

Investments

9 August 2021

by Suzanne Branton

It’s been a great year for members, with the Balanced (MySuper) option delivering 17.49% - the highest return in CareSuper’s 35-year history.

Caresuper investment update - March quarter 2021

Investments

21 May 2021

by Suzanne Branton

Share markets continued to rise in the March quarter, helping to generate strong returns for CareSuper’s share-based investments. However, with interest rates at virtually zero or negative around the world, returns for our Fixed Interest and Cash investments remain challenging.

CareSuper’s Cash option explained

Investments

20 May 2021

by Suzanne Branton

The current low interest rate environment could affect your super account balance, if you invest a large portion of your retirement savings in Cash. Hear from our Chief Investment Officer, Suzanne Branton, as she explains the Cash option.

Upcoming change to our Cash option

Investments

18 May 2021

by Suzanne Branton

From 1 July 2021, we’re adding short-dated annuities as allowable investments of the Cash option. We’re doing this to support the potential of higher returns for members invested in this option.

Cash returns — the 'new normal'

Investments

18 May 2021

by Suzanne Branton

While many members are invested in our Balanced (MySuper) option, the current low interest rate environment could affect your super account balance if you invest a large portion of your retirement savings in the Cash option

Investing sustainably for a brighter financial future

Investments

14 April 2021

by Suzanne Branton

‘Sustainable investing’ has been an important feature of the superannuation industry for some time now, although the concept has expanded and become more mainstream over the years.

Caresuper investment update - December quarter 2020

Investments

23 February 2021

by Suzanne Branton

Investment markets have continued to rise in the December quarter, helping to deliver strong returns for members. By contrast, the Cash investment option yielded minimal returns for the quarter, reflecting Australia’s near-zero official cash rate.

CareSuper Investment Update – September quarter 2020

Investments

10 November 2020

by Suzanne Branton

Investment markets have continued to recover over the September quarter, helping to deliver an uplift in returns for members. Despite this comeback there is still a lot of uncertainty in markets due to various factors – so we remain cautious in our outlook. Read the latest investment update from Chief Investment Officer, Suzanne Branton.

We’re investing to drive positive change for people and the planet

Investments

25 August 2020

by Suzanne Branton

Did you know your super investments could help tackle the world’s challenges, from water safety and waste management to wealth inequality?

New custodian arrangements to support our fund into the future

Announcements

21 August 2020

by Suzanne Branton

Following an extensive tender process, CareSuper has appointed J.P. Morgan as custodian of the fund. As a leading global custodian with advanced technology capabilities, JP Morgan is well positioned to meet the fund’s securities services and investment reporting needs over the long term. To us, this means improvements and efficiencies to ensure that we continue to deliver competitive products and services to help you make good retirement decisions.

Positive returns in difficult times

Investments

29 July 2020

by Suzanne Branton

Against the backdrop of COVID-19, we take a look at our investment returns for 2020 and what’s on the horizon for financial markets.

How the Fixed Interest option works

Investments

26 May 2020

by Suzanne Branton

While fixed interest is a lower risk investment, fixed interest returns can still move up and down like other investments. Hear from our Chief Investment Officer, Suzanne Branton, as she breaks down the Fixed Interest option.

Investment Update – Coronavirus and super

Investments

16 March 2020

by Suzanne Branton

COVID-19 is continuing to impact investment markets and the global economy. Here’s the latest update on what’s been happening and how CareSuper is responding.

Investment update – Coronavirus and super

Investments

5 March 2020

by Suzanne Branton

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect financial markets, we acknowledge that as a CareSuper member, you may be concerned about your investments.

Investment update - February 2020

Investments

17 February 2020

by Suzanne Branton

All of CareSuper’s diversified options delivered strong performance during the December quarter, making 2019 one of the highest performing years of the past decade. But despite these generally strong returns, we retain a cautious outlook.

Quarterly report - September 2019

Investments

5 December 2019

by Suzanne Branton

A slowing global economy and ongoing geo-political developments created volatile share market conditions in the September quarter, but in the end, it was a positive quarter for returns across all asset classes and CareSuper’s investment options.

A positive year for members

Investments

21 August 2019

by Suzanne Branton

It’s been another good financial year for both super and pension members with our Balanced option delivering its tenth consecutive year of positive returns.

Quarterly report – March 2019

Investments

17 May 2019

by Suzanne Branton

Global share markets bounced back in the March 2019 quarter, recovering all of the losses experienced at the end of 2018. This recovery lifted the returns of our diversified options back into the black for the financial year.

Market update - November 2018

Investments

14 February 2019

by Suzanne Branton

Chief Investment Officer, Suzanne Branton, puts the recent volatility into perspective.

Quarterly report - December 2018

Investments

13 February 2019

by Suzanne Branton

The December quarter was an extremely volatile period for both overseas and Australian share markets but other asset classes such as property, infrastructure, fixed interest and cash all posted positive returns.

Get the latest market update from our CIO

Investments

4 December 2018

by Suzanne Branton

‘Declines in recent months are a reminder that short-term fluctuations in share markets are a normal part of investing.’ Chief Investment Officer Suzanne Branton explains how CareSuper’s positioned for challenging investment conditions.

Members benefit from best performance over 10 years

Investments

7 November 2018

by Suzanne Branton

‘CareSuper’s Balanced option was the best performing Balanced option over the past decade,’ says CEO of SuperRatings, Kirby Rappell.

A great year for members’ super balances

Investments

2 November 2018

by Suzanne Branton

It’s been another great year for CareSuper members, with the Balanced option delivering another year of strong returns. It’s the fifth year out of the last six that returns have been in double-digits.

Quarterly report - September 2018

Investments

2 November 2018

by Suzanne Branton

It’s been another solid quarter for CareSuper members with all our investment options delivering positive returns.

Here's how your investments performed

Investments

25 September 2018

by Suzanne Branton

We ask CIO, Suzanne Branton, about the performance landscape and take a look at investments on our new website.