Operating Model transformation | Integrated Advisory

Supporting Aware Super in the Successful Delivery of Project Odin

Aware Super embarked on Project Odin, a major multi-year transformation of the investment technology, data and operating environment supporting its approximately $235 billion investment portfolio and 1.3 million members. The program brought together GoldenSource, State Street Alpha Data Services, Ortec PEARL, BlackRock eFront, Rimes Matrix and BlackRock Aladdin to establish an integrated, whole-of-fund environment spanning public and private assets. Integrated Advisory worked alongside Aware Super’s investment and program teams, providing an integrated change capability across business and operating model change, data and platform integration, testing, operational readiness and implementation support. Our investment practitioners combined deep industry knowledge with hands-on delivery expertise and automation-enabled testing to help manage cross-platform dependencies, validate data and functional outcomes, and support the successful transition to the new investment environment.

Demonstrated Capabilities:

Key Challenges

Complex, Multi-Platform Transformation: Project Odin brought together several interdependent investment platforms and data services, each requiring careful integration within the broader target environment.
Whole-of-Fund Integration: The program needed to establish an integrated view of Aware Super’s public and private market investments across a large and increasingly complex portfolio.
Investment Data Architecture: Data needed to be sourced, managed and distributed across State Street Alpha Data Services, GoldenSource and the downstream investment platforms in a complete, accurate and timely manner.
Front-to-Back Connectivity: The target solution required reliable integration between portfolio management, modelling, trading, custody, investment data, performance, attribution and risk processes.
Testing Scale and Complexity: The volume of data, business rules, interfaces and end-to-end scenarios created a substantial testing requirement that could not be addressed efficiently through manual execution alone.
Operating Model Change: Implementing the new technology required corresponding changes to investment processes, data ownership, operational responsibilities, controls and ways of working.
Extensive Stakeholder Dependencies: Successful delivery required coordination across Aware Super’s investment and operational teams, State Street and multiple specialist technology partners.
Maintaining Business Continuity: The transformation needed to be implemented without compromising the integrity or continuity of Aware Super’s day-to-day investment activities.
Delivery at Institutional Scale: The resulting environment needed to support Aware Super’s continued growth, expanding internal investment capability and increasing international investment footprint.

Solution Highlights

Integrated Change Capability: IA supported the transformation across the interconnected dimensions of business process, operating model, data, technology, testing and implementation readiness. This helped ensure that decisions made in one area were understood and managed across the broader program.
Specialist Investment Implementation Expertise: IA embedded experienced investment management practitioners within the program, combining deep industry knowledge with practical transformation and implementation experience.
Automation-Enabled Testing: IA applied automation to accelerate the preparation and execution of testing, improve the repeatability of validation activities and reduce reliance on resource-intensive manual processes.
Data and Outcome Validation: Automated testing supported the comparison and validation of large data sets, helping identify exceptions and provide greater confidence in data completeness, accuracy and consistency across platforms.
More Efficient Test Execution: Repeatable testing processes enabled changes and defect fixes to be retested more efficiently while creating clearer evidence of test execution and outcomes.
Program Delivery Support: Worked alongside Aware Super’s program and business teams to progress key activities, manage dependencies, resolve delivery issues and support implementation across the program lifecycle.
Investment Data Integration: Supported the alignment of data requirements and flows across State Street Alpha Data Services, GoldenSource and the broader investment platform ecosystem.
Front-to-Back Process Alignment: Assisted in connecting investment decision-making and portfolio management processes with modelling, trading, custody, data management, performance, attribution and risk capabilities.
Business and Operational Readiness: Helped translate the new technology capabilities into workable business processes, operating procedures, responsibilities and controls.
Cross-Platform Integration: Supported the alignment of Aladdin, eFront, Matrix, GoldenSource, Ortec PEARL and State Street data services within the overall target-state solution.
Stakeholder and Technology Partner Coordination: Worked collaboratively with Aware Super and its technology and service partners to identify issues, resolve dependencies and maintain alignment across the transformation.
Implementation Risk Management: Applied practical investment operations experience to identify and address delivery risks before they could affect implementation outcomes or business continuity.

Outcome

Successful Completion of Project Odin: Aware Super successfully completed its multi-year investment technology transformation, culminating in the implementation of BlackRock Aladdin.
Integrated Whole-of-Fund Environment: The program established an institutional-grade investment environment spanning public and private market assets.
Connected Investment Data Ecosystem: State Street Alpha Data Services and GoldenSource provide the data foundations supporting Aware Super’s integrated investment management, performance, analytics and risk capabilities.
Increased Testing Efficiency and Confidence: The use of automation enabled repeatable, scalable and evidence-based validation across significant volumes of investment data and platform outcomes.
Improved Investment Information: Investment data, portfolio management, modelling, performance, analytics and risk capabilities are now more closely integrated, supporting faster and better-informed investment decisions.
Business and Technology Alignment: The integrated change approach helped align the technology implementation with the associated business processes, operating responsibilities, controls and readiness requirements.
Greater Operational Scale: The new environment provides the technology, data and operational foundations required to support Aware Super’s growing portfolio and expanding internal investment capability.
Enhanced Risk and Governance Capabilities: Greater data integration, automation, transparency and control strengthen the Fund’s ability to manage investment and operational risk.
Platform for Future Growth: Project Odin provides a scalable foundation to support new asset classes, international expansion, future growth and the continued evolution of Aware Super’s investment model.

Are you planning a complex investment platform or data transformation?

Contact us to discuss how Integrated Advisory’s specialist practitioners, integrated change capability and automation-enabled delivery approach can support the successful implementation of your program.

Integrated Advisory is proud to have supported Aware Super and to have worked alongside its investment teams, program leadership and technology partners in delivering this significant transformation.