AustralianSuper appoints Michele O'Neil to its board

AustralianSuper has added the current president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions to its board.

Michele O'Neil has served as president of ACTU for three years and is also a member of its executive team.

Before joining the ACTU, she was the national secretary of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA).  There, she spent 28 years as an organiser, a campaigner, and a negotiator.

In 2018, she led the TCFUA into an amalgamation with the Construction, Forestry, Mining, and Energy Union (CFMEU) and Maritime Union of Australia.

In a release, AustralianSuper chair, Don Russell acknowledged O'Neil's vast experience with member-based organisations and her deep understanding of the importance of putting members' interests at the centre of decision-making.

"Ms O'Neil is very well placed to help the Fund as we continue to grow as a global investor," he said.

For her part, O'Neil said she was looking forward to contributing to the fund's mission of helping members achieve their best financial position in retirement.

"Superannuation is essential to Australian workers' long-term financial security and also a major contributor to the nation's economic prosperity," she said.

"It's an important time to be joining AustralianSuper and I'm looking forward to contributing to members achieving the best financial position possible in their retirement."

O'Neil replaces outgoing director Dave Oliver, who joined the AustralianSuper board in 2007 and became deputy chair in 2014.

Russell paid tribute to Oliver's contribution to Australia's superannuation system.

"Mr. Oliver has been a tremendous advocate of the superannuation system in Australia, and he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to ensuring members have been at the heart of every decision that the AustralianSuper board has made," he added.