David Bell
Executive Director at Conexus Institute
David Bell is the executive director of the Conexus Institute, an independent research institute focused on improving Australia’s retirement system.
David is an active researcher (industry and academic) in the areas of retirement, superannuation, and investment management. He recently completed his PhD at UNSW, exploring lifecycle asset allocation problems.
David was previously CIO at Mine Super. Prior to that David ran his own consulting firm (St Davids Rd Advisory) and spent 12 years at CFS GAM. David led the development of MDUF (the Member’s Default Utility Function), was a co-founder of Cuffelinks, and developed and taught the hedge funds elective at Macquarie University’s Applied Finance Centre.
21
March 24, 2026
Competitive Flows and Adviser Influence: Dissecting Australia’s Super Landscape with David Bell
#21. Co-hosts Sarah Penn and Neil Benson host David Bell, Executive Director at Conexus Institute. Highlights Industry growth: Superannuation assets grew by 12% last year, mostly from strong investment returns. Four funds are now “mega funds” with over $200 billion AUM. Mergers and consolidation: Fund mergers continue to shape the sector. Aware’s merger with TelstraSuper tipped it into mega fund status. Flow dynamics: Natural flows (member contributions) are steady, but competitive flows are inc...
Guest: David Bell