Question 2: Tell us about IFM and how you have grown. What has been the secret of your success?
IFM Investors is a global investment manager owned by Australian superannuation funds, with a history dating back over 30 years. In 1990, a group of Australian funds came together to develop what was then called “Development Fund Australia.” Their goal was to invest in infrastructure and other growing companies in Australia, pooling resources to make long-term investments.
The aim was to give their members — the nurses, the teachers, the construction, and hospitality workers — the opportunity to invest as if they were millionaires or billionaires. This ownership and sense of purpose has set IFM apart and has been key to our success.
This is so important because it means the value proposition to our owners goes beyond generating a stream of dividends.. Instead, the focus is on delivering exceptional long-term investment outcomes for them. This simple alignment equation ensures our daily business operations are geared toward managing all aspects to achieve excellent long-term outcomes. Most importantly, we pursue these excellent long-term outcomes with the culture, values, sense of purpose and responsibility expected of a business founded and owned by long term investors.
Across our team, we talk about how important it is for us all to come to work every day remembering that it’s not our money we manage; it’s often the money of an individual worker saving for a particular purpose, such as a dignified retirement. Reflecting on these principles, IFM Investors today has grown significantly, managing A$215 billion in funds as of 30 June 2023, on behalf of 626 like-minded institutions worldwide.
We invest across four asset classes, including infrastructure, debt investments, private equity, and listed equities. Proudly, we stand as one of the largest listed equity shops in Australia. We have also grown to become one of the largest infrastructure managers in the world, with well-established portfolios across both infrastructure equity and debt that span core infrastructure, such as airports, seaports, utilities, toll roads, renewable energy, and digital technology.
We continue to grow and are evolving from an Australian business with global ambitions to a global business with a proud Australian heritage. When you’re investing and owning complex assets for the long term, local presence becomes incredibly important. Therefore, we have 12 offices around the world, with a large presence in London and New York. Our footprint extends to major Asian cities, such as Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong. The intensity of our effort working with the management teams on our assets is important not only for existing assets but for originating new investments.