MARCUS SIMPSON

GPs take note: Marcus Simpson is the guy to know in Australia. Marcus Simpson heads global private equity at the A$70 billion ($65.8 billion; €41.5 billion) institutional funds manager QIC, originally known as Queensland Investment Corporation. Established in 1991 and owned by the Queensland Government, QIC manages investments for state public sector superannuation and insurance schemes, the Queensland Government, and other select investors. Simpson has been pivotal in QIC's private equity group, which was established three years ago and has a medium-term target of $2.5 billion of capital invested. According to one private funds lawyer, Simpson has built up an organization within QIC that is unlike a lot of other Australian limited partners which tend to hire outside advisors. He has effectively built up an internal organization that has a whole investment staff for private equity, and also does co-investments, hedge funds, and infrastructure real estate strategies. Within the Australian LP community Simpson is also a well-known figure, according to the private funds lawyer, organizing LPs around the Australia Limited Partners Association he put together when he took over the program at QIC. They have meetings twice a year where all the limited partners get together and talk about issues related to private equity. The Australian fund manager's global real estate division is manned by Laurie Brindle who presides over the QIC Property Fund, QIC Shopping Centre Fund and QIC International Property Fund. QIC's global real estate team made its first direct property investment outside Australia in 2006, with its investment in a UK shopping center, a move we are sure to see more of.