HESTA

What HESTA does

HESTA is a not-for-profit Australian industry superannuation fund established in 1987 and headquartered in Melbourne, dedicated exclusively to health and community services workers. The fund serves over one million members — approximately 80% of whom are women — across sub-sectors including nursing, aged care, early childhood education, and disability services, with operating coverage across all Australian states and territories. HESTA is structured as a public-offer fund under trustee H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd, regulated by APRA and governed by Victorian law, with a board drawn from health-sector unions, employer associations, and independent directors chaired by former Attorney-General Nicola Roxon.

HESTA's product platform spans the full member lifecycle: accumulation products (HESTA Super Industry Super Plan, HESTA Corporate Super Plan, HESTA Personal Super Plan), transition-to-retirement and retirement-income solutions (HESTA Income Stream and Transition to Retirement Income Stream with 10 investment options and flexible drawdown), and in-super insurance (Death and TPD cover, with fee reductions scheduled from 1 July 2026). The technology stack comprises a Member Online web portal, native iOS and Android apps, online calculators, and retirement-planning tools; member account administration is delivered through a third-party platform (Grow Inc.), while the HESTA QuickSuper employer clearing house — operated in partnership with Westpac — processes contributions via BPAY to any super fund. Investment execution leverages partnerships with ACSI (domestic ESG engagement) and EOS at Federated Hermes (international voting on ~2,500 holdings).

The fund's commercial model is fee-based on assets under administration — approximately A$101 billion per Bloomberg (Feb 2026), with prior references of A$93B (2025) and A$70–101B range cited elsewhere — structured on a not-for-profit basis to maximize member returns rather than distribute profit. Go-to-market combines a B2B2C employer-partnership motion (default-fund designations plus QuickSuper clearing-house integration) with direct-to-consumer acquisition through the website, mobile app, workplace education delivered by Member Education Managers, an adviser network, and a Retirement Hub. Recent leadership changes include the appointment of Robbie Campo as incoming CEO (August 2026) succeeding Debby Blakey, following December 2025 APRA licence conditions tied to deficiencies in governance and risk management during a June 2025 admin-platform migration that caused a seven-week member access disruption.

Name

HESTA

Legal name

H.E.S.T. Australia Ltd

Website

https://www.hesta.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HESTA is a not-for-profit Australian industry superannuation fund established in 1987, serving over one million health and community services workers with approximately A$101 billion in assets under management across accumulation, retirement income, and insurance products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Superannuation Fund

NAICS

Pension Funds (52511), Pension Funds (525110), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251)

akta.pro primary industry

Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds (FSAAAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Industry superannuation fund
• Retirement income solutions
• Superannuation accumulation plans
• Retirement planning services
• Default superannuation fund

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Superannuation Management Fees: HESTA generates revenue through management fees charged on superannuation assets under administration. As an industry super fund, fees are structured to be competitive and kept low to maximize member returns. The fund does not operate for profit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HESTA is an industry superannuation fund that provides accumulation superannuation plans (HESTA Super Industry Super Plan, HESTA Corporate Super Plan, HESTA Personal Super Plan), retirement income stream products (HESTA Retirement Income Stream, Transition to Retirement Income Stream), insurance cover (death and total and permanent disability), financial advice, and digital account management tools (Member Online portal and HESTA App) to health and community services workers and their employers across Australia.

Product overview

HESTA is an industry superannuation fund dedicated to health and community services workers in Australia. The fund operates a multi-product platform comprising HESTA Super (Industry Super Plan), HESTA Corporate Super Plan, and HESTA Personal Super Plan as core accumulation products, with HESTA Retirement Income Stream and HESTA Transition to Retirement Income Stream for retirement phase. Additional offerings include HESTA Insurance Options, the HESTA App for mobile access, HESTA Member Online portal for account management, and HESTA QuickSuper clearing house for employer contribution management. The fund also offers HESTA Awards programs to recognize excellence in the health and community services sectors. Together, these products form a comprehensive superannuation solution spanning accumulation, transition to retirement, and retirement income phases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HESTA Income Stream: Retirement income stream product for members in retirement phase
• HESTA Transition to Retirement Income Stream
• HESTA QuickSuper
• Super with Impact
• 40:40 Vision

Products and services

• HESTA Super (Industry Super Plan) HESTA's primary superannuation accumulation product for health and community services workers, offering multiple investment options (including the MySuper Balanced Growth option) and bundled insurance cover.
• HESTA Corporate Super Plan Corporate superannuation plan for employers in the health and community services sector, providing employer-sponsored super benefits to employees.
• HESTA Personal Super Plan Personal superannuation plan for individuals who wish to join HESTA directly outside of employer sponsorship, offering the same investment options and benefits as the industry super plan.
• HESTA Retirement Income Stream A retirement income product that converts superannuation savings into a regular income stream in retirement, featuring a Ready-Made strategy that de-risks the investment portfolio over time and access to 10 investment options, with ability to index regular payments to inflation.
• HESTA Transition to Retirement Income Stream An income stream option for members approaching retirement who are eligible to access their super while still working, allowing flexible drawdown on super before full retirement.
• HESTA Insurance Options Insurance products available within HESTA super plans, including death cover and total and permanent disability (TPD) cover, with planned changes effective 1 July 2026 including reduced insurance fees and introduction of non-lapsing binding beneficiary nominations.
• HESTA QuickSuper A BPAY-based clearing house service provided in partnership with Westpac Banking Corporation that enables employers to process and send super contributions to any superannuation fund through a single platform, with straight-through processing capability.
• HESTA App (mobile application) Mobile application for iOS and Android allowing members to check super balance, update personal details, view investment options, and manage their accounts on the go with biometric login and two-factor authentication.
• HESTA Retirement Hub Online resource hub for super and retirement planning related to HESTA accounts, helping members prepare for retirement with tools, calculators (including links to ASIC Moneysmart), seminars, and digital personal advice for Transition to Retirement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 10 investment performance ranking for 10-year MySuper Balanced Growth option to March 2026
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BloombergcoreTechnology or IntegrationBloomberg expanded its electronic Exchange-for-Physical (EFP) trading workflow for Australian fixed income markets with HESTA as the first participant. The enhancement enables contingent package trading linking bond and futures legs with automated processing through integrated order management systems, providing straight-through-processing capabilities for RFQ and RFM workflows.
• ANZcoreTechnology or IntegrationANZ acted as market maker in the first EFP transaction executed on Bloomberg's enhanced platform with HESTA as participant, enabling simultaneous execution of both trade legs for Australian bonds and futures.
• Westpac Banking CorporationcoreTechnology or IntegrationWestpac operates the HESTA QuickSuper clearing house that delivers payment and contribution data to any superannuation fund. The clearing house service is provided to employers by Westpac at HESTA's request.
• Grow InccoreTechnology or IntegrationGrow Inc is a superannuation administration provider for HESTA. The partnership began less than a year before March 2026 but has raised concerns about financial stability, with major clients providing debt facilities to support the company's viability.
• Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHESTA partners with ACSI for engagement with Australian companies on ESG issues. HESTA team members are represented on both the ACSI Board and Member Council. ACSI provides engagement services with ASX-listed companies on HESTA's behalf.
• EOS at Federated Hermes LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationHESTA partners with EOS at Federated Hermes for engagement with international companies and voting on nearly 2,500 international shareholdings. EOS votes on shares and undertakes company engagement on HESTA's behalf.
• Retirement EssentialsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHESTA has partnered with Retirement Essentials to provide members access to support on how to apply for the Centrelink Age Pension and Government Seniors Card, helping retirees optimize their retirement income.
• Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHESTA engages with ASFA as part of its advocacy work. ASFA is a key industry body representing superannuation funds in policy discussions affecting member outcomes.
• Super Members Council of AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHESTA participates in the Super Members Council of Australia to contribute to public policy advocacy and influence superannuation system improvements for members.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AustralianSuper: Australia's largest superannuation fund (A$300B+ AUM), serving a broad multi-industry membership. Directly comparable to HESTA as a MySuper-licensed industry super fund competing for the same employer default-fund mandates and member switchers, though larger and less specialized.
• Australian Retirement Trust: Formed from the merger of QSuper and Sunsuper (A$260B+ AUM), one of Australia's largest industry super funds. Direct peer to HESTA in competing for employer mandates, retail members, and ESG-led positioning, with greater scale following its merger consolidation.
• Hostplus: Industry super fund for hospitality, tourism, sport and recreation workers (A$100B+ AUM). Closely comparable to HESTA as a similarly-sized industry super fund co-investor (e.g., Gilmour Space Series E), with comparable B2B2C employer distribution and member base demographics.
• Cbus: Industry super fund for construction and building industry workers (A$90B+ AUM). Comparable vertical-specialization model to HESTA — serving a defined industry workforce with employer-default distribution — though operating in a different industry vertical.
• UniSuper: Industry super fund for Australia's higher education and research sector (A$140B+ AUM). Comparable industry-vertical model to HESTA with similar member demographics, employer-default distribution, and product suite including accumulation and retirement income products.
• Aware Super: Industry super fund for public sector and community workers (A$200B+ AUM), formed from VicSuper and StatePlus mergers. Directly comparable to HESTA in member base demographics, ESG/responsible investing positioning, and retirement income product suite.
• Rest Super: Industry super fund for retail, fast food, and hospitality workers (A$80B+ AUM). Comparable to HESTA as an industry super fund serving a lower-to-middle income workforce with similar demographic characteristics and reliance on employer-default distribution.
• NGS Super: Industry super fund for non-government schools and education sector (A$30B+ AUM). Comparable to HESTA as a co-investor (Gilmour Space Series E) and as a vertical-specialized industry super fund serving a defined workforce with employer-default distribution.
• Brighter Super: Industry super fund serving emergency services, healthcare, education, and government workers, formed from LGIAsuper and Energy Super merger. Comparable to HESTA in member overlap (healthcare sector), co-investor relationship (Gilmour Space), and B2B2C distribution model.
• Spirit Super: Industry super fund serving transport, energy, and water industries (A$50B+ AUM), formed from Tasplan and MTAA Super merger. Comparable to HESTA as a similarly-sized vertical-specialized industry super fund competing in the same regulatory and competitive environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HESTAsuperfund
• Facebookfacebook.com/hesta.super
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hesta-superannuation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hesta.super
• Xx.com/hestasuper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments17 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HESTA