Charles Kiefel AM is the Founder and Executive Chair of Principals Funds Management. He founded the Firm to provide global economic analysis and advice to U.S., European, Asian, and Australian money management companies, including: investment and manager selection, enterprise and human capital risk management, and board governance. In 2023, Principals Funds Management pivoted to strategic global partnerships.

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Of note, Charles identified and advised in securing seven—each in excess of $1B—mandates for new clients and overall sourced more than $18B mandates from corporate superannuation (pension) funds, insurance companies, and government employee retirement and super funds.

 

Since 2024, he is an Advisory Board Member for EC Pohl & Company Private Wealth.

 

Since 2021, Charles is a Board Member for Clean Energy Regulator, Australian Federal Government.

 

Charles was Board Chairman for Military Superannuation & Benefits Board for 10 years. During this time, he established this pension fund’s office, staffing, systems, processes, policies, and engagements with the Defence Ministers and Chief of the Defence Force for all military members and veterans, growing Fund from <AU$400M to AU$2.6B. Additionally, he significantly increased the number of valuable member services.

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Charles was a Non-Executive Board Director for: (1) ASX-listed Universal Biosensors, Inc., giving guidance to Siemens and Johnson & Johnson’s Lifescan Division partnership; (2) Lochard Company, where with other Directors, he devised M&A and organic growth expansion strategy leading to Lochard dominating air traffic control technologies; (3) CHAMP Private Equity Fund II, where he represented LP investors for Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners; (4) Pacific Equity Partners, where he acted for pension fund investors on Australian & International Advisory Board.

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Other past Board Chair roles include Charles as Non-Executive Chair, Wilson HTM Charitable Trust, where he selected contributions, including towards the Great Barrier Reef restoration, and as Inaugural Board Chair, Hyperion Asset Management, which was the first Member of the consortium that became Pinnacle Investment Management Group, an ASX-listed global investments firm.

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Since 2018, Charles has served as Co-Chair, Australian Advisory Board on Competitiveness. Initially, he was appointed by the Australian Federal Government to strategise and champion new ideas to drive productivity, prosperity, and economic growth for Australia and U.S.​

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Since 2013, Charles has been involved with GFCC. In 2016, he became a Distinguished Fellow. He then was the Australian Federal Government representative on GFCC’s Board of Trustees.  Most recently, Charles became a GFCC Board of Trustees Member, a Corporate Member, and joined the ranks of Sustaining Members for Australia—the other five GFCC Sustaining Members are for Brazil, Greece, Portugal, U.A.E., and U.S.

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His community engagement involvement is extensive, including as a Founding Member, National Committee for The Menzies Foundation, which is a non-partisan memorial honoring Sir Robert G. Menzies, Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister. In July 2024, Charles was appointed a Member of the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Ambassador’s Circle.

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Since 2024, he is the Special Strategic Counsel to the Chair and EIG, which is based in Washington, D.C., U.S., and is one of the world’s largest institutional investors in global energy and infrastructure. Charles is also an Advisory Board Director for The Editor’s Circle of Econvue, LLC, based in Chicago, IL, U.S., which is a global consortium of economic and geopolitical experts from a wide range of specialties discussing trending issues.

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In 2019, Charles was honored to be awarded by the Commonwealth of Australia as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition “for significant service to Australia – United States relations, and to philanthropy.” Previously, he was honored to be awarded by the Commonwealth of Australia the Order of Australia (OAM) “for service to the Superannuation and Funds Management Industries and as a supporter of charitable and educational institutions.”

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For further information, please read here.