Our history of awards and innovation
We are pioneers in investment innovations; recognised as global leaders, including in best-practice governance and innovation.
Awarded 2024 Smooth Ride Award
Presented to the fund that has best weathered the ups and downs of the market while delivering strong outcomes, the Smooth Ride Award is selected by a judging panel of academics, business executives, entrepreneurs and innovators. The award is a reflection of CSC’s investment strategy of prioritising resilience within its investment portfolios.
Learn more about CSC’s award-winning investment strategy.
Awarded best medium super fund in Australasia for second consecutive year
CSC was named the best small/medium pension fund (AUM under US$50 billion) at AsianInvestor’s 2022 Institutional Excellence Awards for the second consecutive year. In conjunction with ‘open weight’ proficiency awards in four key underlying investment capabilities, this award recognises CSC as a global best practice ‘all-rounder’ investor.
First and most importantly, we were recognised as the best Pension fund small/medium across Asia Pacific by an external panel of independent consultants, institutional investors and fund managers.
These awards were judged not only on investment returns, but also robustness and depth of investment approach, excellence across all aspects of portfolio management and innovative operational improvements that focus on the team’s capacity to sustain long-term outcomes for customers.
Excellence and global best practice
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Investment performance is evaluated not only on investment returns, but also robustness and depth of investment approach—risk-adjusted returns, consistency, and long-term performance relative to peers or benchmarks.
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Innovation and adaptability assesses the fund's ability to innovate and adapt to changing market conditions. This includes investment strategies, asset allocation, use of technology, and the implementation of innovative operational improvements.
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Risk Management practices are evaluated, including the ability to identify, measure, monitor, and mitigate risks. This involves assessing the fund's risk management policies, risk culture, and risk-adjusted returns.
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Governance and structure factors such as the Board's composition, independence, expertise, risk management practices, and decision-making processes are also considered.
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Communication and transparency with stakeholders is assessed, including clarity of reporting, disclosure of information, and engagement with scheme members, regulators, and other relevant parties.
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ESG Integration is also a consideration for the award—how well the fund integrates ESG principles into its investment strategy and decision-making process and the team’s capacity to sustain long-term outcomes for customers.
Our commitment to our members sets us apart, as we continuously strive to deliver outcomes that directly benefit your financial wellbeing.
SR50 Capital Stable Index award
PSSap won SR50 'Best Capital Stable Return' award from independent superannuation ratings and research company, SuperRatings.
18th year as Platinum Value for Money fund
PSSap retained the highest Platinum rating from independent superannuation ratings and research company, SuperRatings, for the 18th year for year to 30 June 2022.
This rating means SuperRatings considers that PSSap’s offering is among the best value for money. We were also finalist in SuperRatings smooth ride award, reflecting consistently strong risk-adjusted returns across both strong and weak markets.
This section contains:
Innovation
2022
CSC wins investing Innovation and Progress award
Innovation drives our future-focused strategy for investing our members’ savings. This award acknowledges our position as industry leaders, our early mover approach to hunt where others are not yet, and our commitment to safeguarding and growing our members’ assets throughout all market conditions.
2021
CSC wins Innovation and Progress investment excellence award again
Innovation is the heart of our future-focused approach to investing our customers’ savings. This award recognises how we are leading the industry, thinking differently from peers, and adapting how we invest to safeguard customers’ nest eggs through market setbacks. We are honoured to receive the award in both 2019 and 2021.
2020
WINS ‘Asia Pacific's Telecoms deal of the year
CSC invested US$50 million to refinance a satellite, with next-generation broadband satellite operator, Kacific.
This investment is another example of CSC’s differentiating capacity to be an early mover into new and innovative investment opportunities that address gaps in the market—in this case, technology adoption. It was also an opportunity to robustly support sustainable growth in remote and smaller communities across our region, while aiming to provide financial returns to our members.
The progressive and innovative financing of this important service has been recognised with the IJGlobal Asia Pacific Telecoms deal of the year, awarded to CSC and the other international financiers of this project.
2019
Wins 'Asia Pacific's leader in investment innovation
CSC’s approach to innovation was recognised as the Asia Pacific’s best, in the AsianInvestor Institutional Excellence Awards. The Innovation Award was given for CSC’s nimble decision-making to take advantage of the best ‘value for money’ opportunities, as well as our proactive preparation to meet emerging risks.
At CSC, we seek continuous improvement—incremental or transformational—across all aspects of our portfolio to create value for our customers. We do this in a robust and prudent way with the objective to grow our customers’ wealth and safeguard it through the ups and downs of the market.
2016
Early investment in the infrastructure of the future
We were the first Australian superannuation fund to recognise that data centres would be a critical form of infrastructure for a technology-driven future. We followed through with a significant pioneering investment in Canberra Data Centres (CDC) to capture an early-mover premium.
CDC was strongly positioned to benefit from the trend we spotted towards centralisation of data storage in efficient, purpose-built centres. We pro-actively sourced this investment from within our high-quality-investment manager network, rather than wait for the marketplace to eventually recognise the value of this strategy.
2015
First dedicated, direct seeding
We were the first Australian super fund to have a dedicated program to directly seed new fund management businesses to access new investment talent at lower cost.
2015
Early adopter of Montreal Carbon Pledge
From 2015, we were an early signatory to the Montreal Carbon Pledge, supported by the Principles for Responsible Investment. In the last decade, it has achieved increased investor awareness, understanding and management of climate change-related impacts, risks and opportunities, with signatories committed to measuring and disclosing their portfolio carbon footprints annually. While the initiative has closed in 2023, CSC will continue to measure and disclose our portfolio regularly.
2015
Pioneering portfolio currency management
CSC was amongst the earliest adopters of strategies to hedge significant risks to the portfolio, including using currency, bond, share market securities. This proactively protects our members’ savings from some of the risks associated with rare but high-impact events, such as devaluation during global crises.
2009
First fund to measure its carbon footprint
CSC was the first Australian super fund to open its portfolio for carbon footprint assessment by the Climate Change Institute. We measure the carbon footprint of our equities portfolio, disclose it on our website and in annual reports, with an aim to reduce our net portfolio impact over time.
2009
First fund to fully integrate its risk system
We were the first Australian superannuation fund to have a bottom-up risk system integrating financial-, natural- and social-resource risks across the entire portfolio. Since July 2009, it covers both public and private market assets.
Incorporating factor analysis, portfolio attribution and other analytic tools to supplement the primary risk system, it is a continuously evolving mechanism. This dynamic process recognises that decision-making is improved by specialised complementary or contrarian insights.
2002
The first to incorporate ESG risk
CSC was one of the first funds in Australia to factor in corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) behaviour into our risk assessment. Sustainability means continuously seeking the most productive uses for all our resources. ESG considerations are an intrinsic element of our broad-based risk management and long-term perspective for the ultimate benefit of superannuation fund members.
2002
The first investor in hedge funds
CSC was the first Australian super fund to invest in hedge funds. We identified early the need for alternative sources of returns, to reduce the portfolio’s reliance on traditional share and bond markets. The portfolio becomes more diversified and risk of losing money from market downturns are reduced. CSC sought high-quality skilled managers who use different types of trading strategies to add value, e.g. arbitrage, long/short, event driven, global macro, distressed securities, relative value strategies, etc.
1996
A pioneer in private equity
CSC was one of the first Australian institutional super funds to invest in private equity. Investing in privately owned businesses can expand the opportunity set of assets available to grow member savings for the long term. Private assets provide an additional layer of returns to compensate for the fact that they cannot be converted to cash immediately. We sought to partner with experienced private equity managers to identify and invest in quality companies with sustainable growth potential, which were not listed on public stock exchanges.
Governance
2018
Wins 'Asia Pacific's leader' in investment governance
CSC’s governance framework has been recognised as world class, on winning the Investment Governance category in the AsianInvestor Institutional Investment Excellence Awards.
The award was made particularly in relation to the framework ensuring transparency and accountability to allow rapid decision-making, having clear and transparent investment objectives and having a full assessment of the probability of success and risks that the portfolio is exposed to.
Alternatives
2022
CSC wins alternative investing award for the 2nd time running
We are thrilled to once again be recognised for the continued advancement of CSC’s portfolio exposure to alternative and private assets. This award recognises proactive forward thinking to capitalise emerging trends, as well as our disciplined and countercyclical approach to asset purchases and sales.
2021
CSC wins alternative investing award
We are thrilled to be recognised for the evolution of CSC’s portfolio exposure to alternative and private assets. The global best practice award rates our innovation in identifying early opportunities into businesses of the future to capture first mover profits for customers.
ESG engagement
2022
CSC wins ESG engagement excellence award for 3rd consecutive year
For the third year in a row, CSC was acknowledged for the maturity of our environmental, social and governance practices (ESG) and portfolio integration. The award recognises our integrated approach to managing all risks in our portfolios in order to preserve and grow our customers’ retirement savings and also have positive impact in the real world. A key standout compared to peers is CSC’s conscious differentiation between decisions that improve the risk profile of portfolios versus decisions that can also have impact well beyond the boundaries of investments.
2021
CSC wins ESG engagement excellence award for 2nd consecutive year
For the second year in a row, CSC was acknowledged for the maturity of our environmental, social and governance practices (ESG) and portfolio integration. The award also recognises the effectiveness of our engagement approach to give that thinking effect by supporting our investee companies in their adoption of better ESG practices.
2021
Ranked 'Global top 20%' in responsible asset allocators' initiative
CSC’s approach to sustainable investing and contribution to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) was again recognised by Bretton Woods II/New America, with CSC ranking in the top 20% in Responsible Asset Allocator Initiatives (RAAI) amongst global sovereign wealth funds and government pension funds.
This biennial survey recognises global asset owners who are driving innovation and systemic change for a more sustainable world and acknowledges the importance of responsible investing to long-term value creation.
2020
Wins 'Asian Pacific's leader ESG engagement
CSC’s approach to ESG engagement was recognised as the Asia Pacific’s best in the AsianInvestor Institutional Excellence Awards.
"CSC’s ongoing efforts to bolster its responsible investing engagement, both via new forms of index and adding new forms of data process, made for noteworthy developments of an already impressive level of devotion to ESG"
2020
First Australian super fund to appoint Osmosis Investment Management as an investment manager
We seek to manage all investment risks to ensure the sustainability of your retirement income, including reducing ESG risks from investing in companies that misuse scarce natural resources. To implement this, we’re the first Australian super fund to appoint Osmosis Investment Management as an Investment Manager.
2019
Ranked 'Global Top 20%' in responsible asset allocators’ initiative
Our stewardship approach was again recognised by Bretton Woods II, which ranked CSC in the top 20% in Responsible Asset Allocator Initiatives (RAAI) amongst global sovereign wealth funds and government pension funds in 2019.
2017
In world's ‘Top 25 most responsible asset allocators’
CSC was the first Australian super fund named in New America’s 2017 Bretton Woods II Leaders List. This recognises the top 25 most responsible asset allocators among sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and Government Pension Plans (GPPs) from around the globe.
The initiative provides a benchmark of peer excellence that serves as a catalyst for responsible investing among the broader community.
2006
A first signatory to the United Nations' PRI
CSC was a founding member of the United Nations’ initiative, Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Our leadership has catalysed similar positive change among our stakeholders. By 2019, UN-supported PRI membership has grown to include 2372 organisations accounting for more than $USD86 trillion in global assets under management (AUM)—including 432 asset owners with $20 trillion AUM.
2003
Won UN Royal Award for ESG innovation
CSC won the United Nations Royal Award for excellence in sustainability, due to our innovative and impactful consideration of ESG factors. This inaugural citation, developed by the UN Environment Program Finance Initiatives (UNEP FI) and the Royal Awards for Sustainability, recognised our identification of the seriousness of long-term thematic risks and poor operational practices.
Crisis risk management
2022
Wins COVID-19 response award
Our investment portfolios are built to withstand many different economic, policy, political and market environments over the long time-span to our customers’ retirement. This award recognises our comprehensive, robust and agile approach to managing potential risks and macro scenarios that could plausibly occur, along with their likelihood and sequencing.
Throughout the pandemic and resulting market conditions, we avoided losses compared to peers in falling markets, but captured most of the gains for our members in strong markets.
2020
Wins 'Asia Pacific's Leader' response to COVID
CSC’s COVID response was recognised as the Asia Pacific’s best in the AsianInvestor Institutional Excellence Awards.
“We were impressed by CSC’s early response to the spread of COVID-19 both in terms of investment plans and operational changes, as well as your organisation’s devotion to the safety and support of your personnel during a difficult time”.
The AsianInvestor and Responsible Asset Allocator Initiative (RAAI) awards have been discontinued in 2023.