About - Evolution Trustees

Our story

Built on passion, expertise and practical solutions
Management owned, providing access to decision makers to improve efficiency and certainty
To preserve and protect the wealth of people whose money we take care of
Specialist fiduciary only, reducing conflicts
Aiming to support our team and give back to our community

Founded in 2016 to create a corporate trustee whose focus was on providing market leading client service through expertise, professional passion and modern infrastructure.

We provide fiduciary services to major domestic and international institutions including pension funds, insurance companies, banks and global asset management firms. We work with top tier lawyers, international fund administrators and advisors to develop compliant Australian fund structures. We have a razor sharp focus on supporting investment managers in achieving positive outcomes for the long term wealth of the people whose money we take care of.

We continually aim to improve and streamline systems and processes to provide our clients with market leading service levels.

Experienced and professional leadership

Leading by example, exemplifying client commitment and sound practical expertise.

Rupert Smoker

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Rupert founded Evolution Trustees with a view to creating a corporate trustee whose focus was on providing market leading client service through expertise and professional passion. Prior to this he was the head of a corporate trustee business (Responsible Entity and Managed Investment Trusts) within ASX listed corporate trustees Perpetual Limited and The Trust Company Limited and acted in a variety of management roles with ASIC. Rupert holds degrees in law, commerce and finance and is a registered legal practitioner in NSW.

Rupert is based in Evolution Trustees’ Sydney office.

Ben Norman

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Ben is responsible for Evolution’s systems and processes in addition to acting in a client management role. Ben is a qualified Chartered Accountant with over 16 years of professional and industry experience. Before joining Evolution Trustees, Ben was a Director in global advisory Ernst & Young’s Transaction Advisory Services division, where he spent over 9 years working on numerous due diligence, operational improvement and restructuring engagements with clients in all industry sectors. Prior to this, Ben worked with Hastings Funds Management in a senior finance role, and in tax in a professional services firm that later merged with PwC.

Ben is based in Evolution Trustees’ Melbourne office.

Grace Liang

Director, Development and Operations

Grace is a qualified Chartered Accountant, with over 11 years of professional and industry experience. Grace’s role within Evolution Trustees is focused on human resources and culture in addition to acting in a client management role. Grace has extensive experience in governance, stakeholder management and is currently a board member of a leading independent school in the Asia-Pacific, in addition to acting as board member for two other not for profits.

Prior to joining Evolution Trustees, Grace was Senior Manager at the Primary Health Network (a not-for-profit) and a Manager working in Transaction Advisory Services and Assurance divisions of global consultancy Ernst & Young.

Grace is based in Evolution Trustees’ Melbourne office.

David Grbin

Director & Chairman

David is a Director and Chairman of Evolution Trustees’ majority independent board.

David was the former Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive, Corporate Clients at The Trust Company. He has significant corporate trustee experience and is currently the Chief Financial Officer of an ASX-listed company.

David pioneered the development of a single regional corporate trustee offering across the capital markets of Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, and the development of managed investment trusts to facilitate significant foreign investment flows into Australian commercial property and infrastructure assets.

Sandy Calder

Director

Sandy is a board member of Evolution Trustees’ majority independent board.

Since qualifying as a lawyer in 1988, Sandy has worked for a number of leading fund management houses, both in Australia and abroad. Sandy’s previous experience includes positions as Chief Operating Officer of RF Capital, Managing Director of Calibre Capital Limited, a property funds management business he co-founded in 2004, CEO of Principal Real Estate Investors (Australia) Limited managing a $2.2 billion real estate portfolio, Head of Property Securities and Head of Listed Property of Colonial First State Investment Managers (Australia) Limited. Sandy has been a director of numerous real estate company boards.

OUR Principles

Passionate

Our business is owned and operated by a team who are passionate about what we do and are eager in our role in growing and protecting the wealth of investors.

Personal

Our people are at the centre of our product offering providing long term commitment to our clients and investors which we service, even through the execution of difficult decisions.

Professional

Our culture emphasises impartial integrity in each relationship we form and decision we make.

Pragmatic

We work flexibly with our clients to ensure we understand the facts and use common sense to set our course of action. We work with our clients to understand their needs and then adapt our approach to meet their specific needs.

Philanthropy

Evolution Trustees is committed to performing real actions and providing real financial support to give back to the community.

We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give – Winston Churchill.

Evolution Trustees’ giving program is focused on providing assistance to those impacted by modern slavery and programs to eliminate modern slavery.

Charities we support

Evolution financially supports the following charities in their work to support those impacted by and ending slavery:

Hagar Australia

Hagar exists to transform the lives of those impacted by trauma and to end the cycle of trafficking, slavery and abuse. No matter the cost. Hagar Australia is committed to playing a leading role in bringing slavery to an end and helping communities heal and thrive after the trauma of trafficking, slavery and abuse.

Pledge 1%

Pledge 1% is a global initiative and an easy model with a proven track record of helping businesses of all sizes and stages to have an impact. It encourages and empowers companies to donate 1% of their staff time or profit (or both) to any charity and their ethos is to believe in all companies to have the capacity to give.

Profits

Evolution Trustees is proud to be a signatory to the Pledge 1% global initiative, and each year donates at least 1% of its profits towards causes to end slavery.

Staff commitment

Our staff are empowered to make an impact and are encouraged to donate their time to meaningful causes which help reshape the world for the better. In addition to committing 1% of Evolution Trustees’ annual profits to donations, staff have the option to donate 1% of their time during work hours.

Hagar Australia Modern Slavery Statement

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