Portfolio power

When Chris Paton first began his career, he never envisioned himself one day becoming Chief Investment Officer of one of Australia’s leading alternative asset managers. However, while working at a commercial law firm, he soon found himself drawn toward wanting something more.

“The reason why I came to this business is because I wanted to be able to make a difference,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “Rather than issue-spotting and advising a business on how to fix itself or avoid issues, I wanted to be part of its growth.”

Today, Paton has realized that ambition in full, overseeing La Trobe Financial’s investment strategy and playing a key role in helping Australians build their wealth through innovative investment solutions.

“We’re very mindful that we are managing other people’s money, other people’s wealth,” he explains. “We want to do everything we can to protect and grow that for them.”

Eyes on the prize

La Trobe Financial has built a reputation as a highly respected alternative asset manager, trusted by more than 100,000 investors, including some of the world’s largest financial institutions. Known for its commitment to preserving and growing investor wealth, the firm has weathered multiple economic cycles without losing sight of its core mission.

“We’ve built portfolios to withstand and perform through all market and economic cycles, irrespective of whether we’re in an increasing or decreasing rate environment, whether inflation is high or if we’re in a recessionary environment,” Paton says. “Everything we do is through the lens of preserving investor capital and providing a strong risk-adjusted return.”

This dedication to stability and investor-focused outcomes has earned La Trobe Financial a loyal client base and a respected position in the market. Paton believes this reputation is a result of the firm’s relentless focus on quality – quality in asset class, quality in manager and quality in the investment strategies it brings to the table.

“We’re very well respected for the performance profile of our pooled portfolio accounts, which we’ve delivered for our investors. That’s been really flawless in its performance to date, never delivering a loss of capital to portfolio account investors,” he points out.

Low volatility, high returns

La Trobe Financial, always looking for ways to improve and provide clients with the most value, recently introduced its Global Asset Management strategy to market, designed to bring the best of the world to everyday Australian investors.

The first product in this series is the La Trobe US Private Credit Fund, a product that gives everyday Australian investors access to the United States middle market. Designed to provide steady monthly income with low volatility, this fund brings a unique international asset class into reach for everyday Australians.

“The middle market is the backbone of the United States economy, with over 200,000 companies accounting for a third of the country’s total jobs and 40 percent of its gross domestic product,” Paton explains.

“If it were a standalone economy, it would be the third largest in the world. We love the fact that we’re providing investors an opportunity to access that very broad and very deep market.”

The timing for such a product is strategic as the United States middle market is undergoing a resurgence, fueled by substantial policy support and reshoring efforts. And La Trobe Financial’s partnership with Morgan Stanley, which provides access to a high-quality loan pipeline, adds an extra layer of security and opportunity to the fund.

For Paton, the decision to bring this product to market aligns with the firm’s long-term vision of expanding its global asset management strategy.

“We’re looking to unlock traditionally hard-to-access asset classes for everyday Australian investors,” he reveals, positioning the US Private Credit Fund as just the first step of this broader strategy.

A culture of transparency

At the heart of La Trobe Financial’s success is a culture that values transparency, integrity and putting clients first. For Paton, these aren’t just corporate values – they’re foundational principles that shape how the company operates every day.

“Australian investors are seeing more and more opportunities coming into this market, but it’s hard for them to understand what they’re investing into without doing a lot of the homework,” he says.

“That’s why it’s really important to have that transparency that we pride ourselves on, so you can get under the hood and understand exactly what the product and the asset class is.”

The firm’s commitment to transparency is matched by a customer-centric ethos that places the investor experience front and center.

“We’re unique in that we put the customer at the heart of everything we do. We’re not just looking to repeat something that’s already in the market, which doesn’t provide added value to our investors or advisor partners – we focus on finding unique high-quality solutions,” he says.

It’s a strategy that has paid off in investor loyalty, as evidenced by La Trobe Financial’s steady growth and expanding product portfolio. Paton attributes much of this success to the strength of the team behind the company.

“Having an executive team that’s aligned, collaborative and high in communication is absolutely key,” he reflects. “Our biggest asset is our people.”