Aust Unity, Fidante and Centuria boost business development line-ups
Australian Unity Investments (AUI) has hired a former financial planner and a former Morningstar staffer to bolster its business development in southern Australia.
AUI has named Charlie Wapshott — formerly with Morningstar in the UK, as business development manager overseeing Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania from his base in Melbourne. At the same time Chad Brookes — a former planner with Westpac — will be based in Sydney and cover NSW.
Wapshott had relocated from the United Kingdom where he held a role in business development at Morningstar and has previously worked as an account manager at financial software supplier Financial Express. Aside from working at Westpac for the past four years, Brookes has also for Wealthy and Wise Lifestyle Planning and WPS Financial Group.
Fidante Partners has also recruited for a lead sales role appointing former Rubik executive Trent Fitzgerald to the role of National Sales Manager.
Fitzgerald will report to Fidante Partners Head of Retail, Vito D'Introno who stated that Fitzgerald would drive continued growth within the Challenger owned multi-boutique funds management business.
Fitzgerald held the role of head of sales at Rubik and has also held distribution and account management roles at Advance Asset Management.
Centuria Life — the investment bonds division of property manager Centuria Capital - has also appointed a former Rubik Financial Group staffer to its business development team.
Former Rubik business development manager Jason Lien has taken on a similar role with Centuria and will deal with financial advisers in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.
Centuria Life General Manager Neil Rogan said the appointment was the result of increased demand from advisers for Centuria's investment bond products and white-labelled investment bond solutions.
Aside from his role with Rubik Lien has held roles with Macquarie Bank, IRESS, Citibank and Prescott Securities.
Recommended for you
There is one specific risk that is a significantly higher concern for financial services directors compared to companies overall and is impacting their risk appetite, according to the AICD.
Global fund managers are shunning bonds, with the asset class seeing the largest drop in allocations in more than 20 years.
Australian Ethical has seen its funds under management reach $10 billion, driven by organic customer growth and superannuation contributions.
Financial advisers will have access to private equity investments run by WTW for the first time as it launches a pooled fund to provide savers with access to traditionally institutional assets.
