Equity Trustees

Equity Trustees serves as a responsible entity, superannuation trustee, and corporate trustee. It provides the legal governance layer for managed investment schemes and superannuation funds — ensuring regulatory compliance, monitoring fund managers, and acting in the best interests of unit holders or members. It does not manage investment portfolios itself.

The firm is governed by a predominantly independent board of directors, consistent with its role as an external fiduciary. Day-to-day operations are led by an executive team under a managing director, appointed by and accountable to that board. The structure is deliberately separated from any investment management business.

Revenue comes from trustee and responsible entity fees, charged under long-term contracts with fund managers and superannuation funds. The fee structure is typically a function of assets under administration and the complexity of governance services provided, not investment performance. This creates a relatively stable, recurring revenue profile.

While custodians hold assets and administrators handle unit pricing and registry, Equity Trustees holds the legal responsibility. As the responsible entity, it is the party that the regulator holds accountable for fund conduct — a higher standard than custody or administration alone. It can delegate custody and admin but cannot delegate its fiduciary duty.

Its business model is designed to avoid the conflict that arises when a bank or wealth platform provides trustee services to funds it also manufactures. Equity Trustees does not manage its own retail funds that compete with client mandates. This independent-only posture is its core structural differentiator.