RQI Investors team

Andrew Francis was appointed Chief Executive of RQI Investors in 2008. Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience in funds management, investment consulting and investment banking. Prior to helping establish RQI Investors, Andrew worked in a range of roles at Perpetual Investments, Mercer and Macquarie Bank. Andrew has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance from FinSia and a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance from the University of New England.

David has over 26 years’ experience in funds management. Prior to joining RQI Investors, David held various roles including Chief Investment Officer at RF Capital, Head of Investments at Acadian Asset Management, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager at BGI Australia, as well as Head of Research at State Street Global Advisors Australia. Before entering the finance industry, David held academic and engineering roles for nearly a decade. David holds a PhD in Finance, a Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics, and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from the University of Western Australia. He also holds a Master of Business from Curtin University.

Joanna brings more than 17 years’ quantitative investment experience. She was previously a Senior Portfolio Manager at Acadian and held various roles at Blackrock including as a scientific equities Portfolio Manager, led index portfolios and was Head of Sustainable Investment in Australia. Joanna is a Lecturer at New York University. She holds a CFA accreditation, has a PHD in Economics from Yale University, and was awarded a Fulbright scholarship. She has a Bachelor of Laws and Economics (Honours) from the University of New South Wales.

Ron has over 20 years' asset management experience. Previously, he held various roles including the Head of Research at RF Capital, Portfolio Manager, Systematic Active Equities at BlackRock, Chief Investment Officer at Callisto Asset Management and Senior Quantitative Research roles at Marshall Wace, Fidelity International and State Street Global Advisors. Prior to his career in asset management, Ron held a faculty position at the University of New South Wales, where he lectured in quantitative finance. Ron holds a PhD in Finance and Statistics from the Australian Graduate School of Management and has completed a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) at the University of Sydney.

Wang Chun has more than 15 years’ experience in financial services. Prior to joining RQI Investors, Wang Chun worked as a Quantitative Analyst at Macquarie Group and Regal Funds Management, and as a senior investment analyst at AustralianSuper. In April 2022, Wang Chun transitioned from being a Quantitative Analyst within the RQI Investors Research Team to a Quantitative Portfolio Manager role. He has worked as a lecturer in finance at the University of Queensland Business School. Wang Chun holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Actuarial Studies from the University of Melbourne, a PhD in Finance at the University of Sydney and a Master in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has been a CFA charter holder since 2017.

Scott has more than 30 years' quantitative research experience. Prior to joining RQI Investors, Scott was a Director of Applied Research at Axioma and spent 18 years at Macquarie Bank where he was a Senior Analyst within Macquarie Securities and the Quantitative Applications Division. In addition, he has been a guest lecturer at Kaplan Professional since 2004. Scott has worked across several areas of quantitative research including multi factor alpha models and optimisation, smart beta, index arbitrage, after tax optimization, dynamic currency hedging and database management and has regularly presented at conferences and seminars. Scott has a Master of Applied Finance and a Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours), both from Macquarie University.

Sidney has over 26 years’ financial services experience, during which he has been responsible for producing software within stockbroking and asset management arms of multinational investment banks including Ankura Capital and Credit Suisse. Sidney holds a Master of Commerce – Major in Finance and Bachelor of Engineering – Computer Engineering (Honours Class 1) from the University of New South Wales and has been a CFA Charter holder since 2010. 

Andrew has more than 25 years' quantitative research experience. Prior to joining RQI Investors, Andrew worked for 17 years in quantitative research roles at Man AHL as a Senior Researcher and Client Portfolio Manager, Senior Research Fellow, and Head of Non-Directional Strategies. His career brings extensive quantitative research experience across equities, currency and derivatives in both long-only and long-short and across multiple time horizons. Andrew has a Master in Science in Applied Statistics from Oxford University, and a Bachelor in Mathematics (Honours) from the University of Cambridge. 

Wei has more than 15 years' quantitative research experience. Prior to joining RQI Investors, Wei worked as a Business Analyst and Consultant at Capital Market CRC, and as a Quantitative Analyst at RBS, CIMB Securities and Investment Science Asset Management. Wei has a PhD in Finance from the University of New South Wales and has completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Finance (Honours) at the University of Adelaide, receiving the University Medal.

Tom has over 5 years’ experience in financial services as a quantitative researcher. He holds a PhD in Computational Finance from Bond University and a Bachelor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (Hons) from the University of Queensland. Before transitioning to finance, Tom spent 4 years as an Aeronautical Engineer in the Australian Defence Force, responsible for technical risk management and the leadership of aircraft maintenance teams.

Ned joined RQI Investors as a Graduate in February 2022. Previously, he worked as a data scientist assisting the development of text mining models at the Australian Taxation Office. Ned holds a Bachelor of Commerce and IT with majors in Finance and Information Systems from the University of Sydney.

Alex joined RQI Investors as a Quantitative Researcher in February 2025. He previously worked as a Quantitative Researcher at Optiver in their high-frequency Delta 1 team and as an Analyst in the New Zealand Superannuation Fund's hedge fund selection team. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science and Commerce, with majors in Statistics, Finance and Economics.

Trine joined RQI Investors as a Graduate in December 2023. Trine was previously teaching Computer Science at the University of Wollongong. She holds a Bachelor of Communication and IT from the University of Copenhagen and a Master of Computer Science with a specialisation in Machine Learning and Big Data from the University of Wollongong.

Ben has over 12 years' experience in financial services in addition to 5 years prior IT experience where he was responsible for network, applications and database projects at a government organisation. Prior to joining RQI Investors, Ben worked in the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Wealth Management Architecture team. Ben has a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Diploma in Professional Practice with Distinction from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Iain has more than 16 years’ experience in financial services. Iain previously worked within the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s Wealth Management Strategy team, held various positions within First Sentier Investors, and worked as a Research Assistant at Contango Asset Management. Iain has a Bachelor of Business (Honours) from the University of Technology and is a holder of the Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) designation. Iain completed his thesis on a conditional model for enhanced value and growth portfolios in the Australian market.

Bonnie has more than 12 years’ financial services experience. She joined First Sentier Investors as part of the graduate program in 2014, working in various parts of the business before joining RQI Investors in 2018. Bonnie holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Accounting from the University of New South Wales.

Melanie joined RQI Investors as a Graduate in May 2022. Prior to joining the team, she was a Client Services Consultant at Perpetual Limited. Melanie holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a major in Finance and minors in Economics and Marketing from Macquarie University.