David Murray

David Murray could have made the Top 10 Money Movers last year. As head of the government-backed Future Fund, Murray has serious clout. Australia's sovereign wealth fund is one of significant financial power, thanks to its arms-length power to invest billions of taxpayer dollars.

But the former Commonwealth Bank chief is on the way out of the $75.15 billion fund. His term expires in March next year.

And some say he has been on the outer with Canberra for longer than that. He has been highly critical of the federal government in the past and clashes with them on the issue of climate change. Murray has some strong opinions, and he's not afraid to use them.

"[Carbon dioxide] has got nothing to do with pollution," he recently told the Australian Financial Review.

"Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant..., it is colourless and odourless. It is not a pollutant... It is a tiny proportion of greenhouse gases. There is no correlation between warming and carbon dioxide."

Murray's outspoken nature has sparked some criticism that the board of Future Fund guardians has not paid close enough attention to climate change in its investments.

Just this year, The Age reported that the fund has not discussed climate change in any meetings since 2007.

Still, Murray's performance has been good and he will leave the fund in a better place since when he joined. Since the launch of the Future Fund five years ago, it has generated a return of 5.2% a year.