Active Super adopts ICS ATHENA

Active Super has migrated its investment-related data into the cloud-based platform ICS ATHENA in a move that will improve governance and increase efficiencies for the Fund.

Active Super is now leveraging the hosted data management platform provided by investment technology company Investment Control Systems (ICS) to manage and automate a range of functions including exposure reporting, cash forecasting, rebalancing, performance, risk, benchmark data and unit price verification.

“By using ATHENA, we have centralised all our investment data and analytics into a single trusted source of truth which has not only allowed us to reduce manual operational processes, but will continually enhance the capabilities of the operations and investment teams,” says Stuart Hill, Active Super Head of Investment Operations.

“Working with ICS was an important strategic decision for Active Super. As a regulated superannuation fund, we are seeing increasing reporting and data requirements as well as more demand from our members to answer specific investment questions.”

In the coming months, Active Super will be implementing and expanding on its ESG and sustainability reporting capabilities.

Christian Eriksen, ICS Commercial Director, says: “We are extremely excited to welcome Active Super to our growing client community. They have a great culture and a ‘can do’ attitude. The preparatory work they had already completed, collaborating with Cutter Associates and J.P. Morgan, meant this project was well positioned for success from the beginning and allowed our team to rapidly deploy the ATHENA platform within weeks.”

Active Super’s preparation for this project started in 2020 by engaging investment industry consultant Cutter Associates to do a comprehensive data strategy and to ensure a thorough and effective process was executed.

Arnie Wachs, Principal and Head of Consulting at Cutter, says: “Active Super is a great example of how starting out with the right groundwork can help fast-track implementation and achieve positive results sooner. This means setting a data strategy, aligning this plan with the right solution, and resourcing your project with both internal subject matter experts and external expertise.”

About Active Super

Active Super, formerly known as Local Government Super (LGS), manages more than $13.5 billion in superannuation assets for approximately 80,000 members, including current and former NSW local government employees. Active Super is a certified responsible super fund with investments across Australian and international shares, property, infrastructure, private equity, fixed interest and absolute return asset classes.

Active Super is one of only four Australian super funds with all products certified ethical by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA), and has won the SuperRatings Infinity Award for leading the industry in responsible investment for a record seven times.

About Investment Control Systems

We make your investment data worth more and your wisdom cost less by introducing a single source of truth via our cloud-based investment data management, warehouse, and reporting platform - ICS ATHENA.

This enables our clients to increase efficiency while scaling the operations of their investment teams to support their growth plans. Our solution is designed for asset owners, asset managers and asset consultants.

About Cutter Associates

Cutter Associates provides independent research, custom benchmarking, and global consultancy for the asset and wealth management industry. Investment companies of all sizes look to Cutter to provide expert advice that leads to improved capabilities, higher scale and efficiency, and generation of operational alpha.