JANA appoints Matt Wacher as Chief Investment Officer

The appointment reflects JANA’s continued evolution as client demand, portfolio complexity and regulatory expectations continue to grow across segments and mandates.

Reporting to JANA’s Chief Executive Officer, Georgina Dudley, and joining the Executive Leadership Team, Mr Wacher will lead JANA’s overarching investment strategy and oversee investment outcomes across all client segments and mandates.

In this role, Mr Wacher will provide leadership across JANA’s investment research, investment strategy and sustainability functions.

Ms Dudley said the CIO appointment reflects the increasing breadth and complexity of client needs.

“JANA has a team with real depth across research, strategy and sustainability, and I’m incredibly proud of what they’ve built,” Ms Dudley said. “As demand continues to broaden across our clients, the work is becoming more multi-dimensional as we support a wider range of client objectives and portfolio needs.”

“A Chief Investment Officer role strengthens investment leadership across our business and ensures we continue to deliver disciplined, long-term outcomes for our clients.” Mr Wacher said, ”I’m excited to join JANA at a time when clients are placing an even greater emphasis on disciplined decision-making and consistent oversight.”

“JANA has built strong investment capability grounded in rigorous research and thoughtful portfolio construction,” Mr Wacher said. “My focus will be to provide leadership across the investment function, build on the depth already in place, and ensure we continue delivering disciplined, long-term outcomes for clients.”

Mr Wacher joins JANA from Morningstar Investment Management, where he was Chief Investment Officer, Asia Pacific, leading multi-asset investment strategy and portfolio management across the region. He also served as Chair of Morningstar’s Global Investment Committee, overseeing investment methodologies and governance across its global investment operations. In these roles, he oversaw approximately US$15 billion across diversified multi-asset strategies.

Earlier in his career, Mr Wacher held senior investment roles at Qantas Superannuation, Russell Investments and CMC Markets, spanning multi-asset portfolio construction, institutional investment solutions, and investment markets across Australia and Japan.

Matt Wacher will commence his role at JANA on Tue 19 May.