Barings has appointed a former Zenith sales head as it seeks to expand its reach in the Australian wealth management market.
John Nicoll has taken up the newly created position of sales director at the global investment manager, which has more than US$421 billion ($673 billion) in assets under management, as of 31 December 2024.
In the Melbourne-based role, he will oversee the development and management of client relationships and raise capital in the local wealth market.
Nicoll previously spent 13 years at Zenith Investment Partners, most recently as its national head of sales. He also served as a regional business manager for real estate funds distribution at Macquarie Group.
According to Barings, the new appointment marks the most recent development in the firm’s continued expansion in the Australian wealth management sector.
The US-headquartered investment manager launched two private credit funds for Australian investors last November, as it recognised “numerous opportunities” in the local private credit space.
More recently, Barings acted as joint lead arranger of a $345 million senior secured credit facility supporting financial advice and accounting group AZ NGA last month, representing another step in its growth plans within Australian wealth management.
Jonathan Baird, head of Australian wealth distribution at Barings, noted its domestic business now exceeds $18 billion in Australian-sourced assets, as at 31 March 2025.
It also has over 90 Barings employees in the country, spread throughout Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Its on-the-ground investment capabilities include private credit, real estate and structured finance.
“John joins the business as we continue to expand our local wealth offering, leveraging our long-tenured institutional strategies and the scale of our domestic business,” Baird remarked.
“We are delighted to have John join Barings with his level of expertise and calibre. He has a proven track record of building longstanding client relationships and growing businesses.”
Commenting on his new position, Nicoll said: “I am delighted to join Barings during this exciting phase of expansion in Australia and look forward to helping to deliver Barings’ exceptional level of service and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients.”
Barings cemented its entry in the local market through its acquisition of Sydney-based private equity real estate investment company Altis Property Partners (now known as Barings Real Estate Australia) in 2022, followed by its purchase of Gryphon Capital Investments in 2023.
Gryphon will soon be fully merged into the Barings Structured Finance business, it noted.
