Richard Brandweiner
The Future Fund, Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, appointed Richard Brandweiner as its new CIO, effective July 1.
Brandweiner was previously CEO of the Pendal Group, an Australian investment management firm, from 2018 through 2023. Prior to that, he was CIO of superannuation fund First State Super (now Aware Super) and a group executive at Perpetual Investments.
“I am delighted to welcome Richard to the Future Fund,” Raphael Arndt, the fund’s CEO, said in a statement. “He is an experienced investor and executive and has significant experience in leading investment teams to achieve their mandates.”
The previous CIO, Ben Samild, left in September 2025 to take a chief strategist role with the Abu Dhabi Investment Council. Brandweiner’s appointment follows a global search process in line with Australian Public Service requirements, according to the Future Fund. Deputy CIO Hugh Murray will continue as interim CIO until Brandweiner starts in July.
Since leaving the Pendal Group, Brandweiner has served on several boards and investment committees. He currently chairs the board of Impact Investing Australia, a nonprofit, and also sits on the investment committees of several family offices. He is also on the investment committee of Aboriginal Investment Northern Territory and is chair and a co-founder of OpenDirector.
Speaking on his appointment, Brandweiner said the Future Fund has a compelling purpose as Australia’s sovereign wealth fund.
“Its investment approach and capabilities are globally respected. I look forward to working with the team and the board of guardians to continue to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns for Australia,” he said.
Australian Ethical Investment announced that Brandweiner stepped down from the AEI board to take up his new role.
“Richard has brought deep investment insight and a strong commitment to responsible and impact-led investing, and we thank him for his valuable contribution and service to Australian Ethical,” AEI Chair Steve Gibbs said in a statement. “We congratulate him on this exciting role at the Future Fund and wish him all the best for the future.”
The Future Fund made a public statement earlier this week defending itself after a report in the Australian Financial Review alleged Arndt’s leadership style may have forced staff out the door. Specifically, the report alleged that Samild—who had been at the Future Fund since 2013—stepped down last year due to tension with Arndt.
Following in Samild’s footsteps were former Deputy CIO David George, who joined the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund as deputy chief strategist, and Pradheesh Salvarajah, a former investment professional who took on a role as investment manager at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
A version of this article originally appeared in our sister publication, Financial Standard, which, like CIO, is owned by ISS STOXX.
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Tags: Future Fund, Superannuation