Assirt Research head of ratings Patrick Bennett will be leaving the group to take on a role in funds management with ING.
Bennett says he would be filling the role of assistant general manager with the fund manager when he begins in the new role from March 26th.
Assirt chief executive officer Krystyna Weston made the announcement saying Bennett had timed his departure for after her transition into the new role.
Weston joined Assirt in late January, and took over from Brett Sanders who become managing director of Wealthpoint after a group restructure last year.
Bennett says the decision to move away from the research side of the industry came after he reviewed his current role and felt he should be heading in another direction over the next five years.
“I reached a stage where I felt a need for change and searched for a funds management group that had the criteria I wanted and a role I could work in, by bringing across the skills I have developed here,” Bennett says.
The decision to leave was made even difficult by according to Bennett by what he sees as positive changes in Assirt’s ownership and internal structure .
“I have never felt more confident about the future of Assirt. This has made leaving doubly difficult. I have spent the last few years literally dedicated to building a ratings team and process. Having achieved that with Assirt, I’m ready to take on something different,” Bennett says.
Bennett is no longer involved with the ratings work at Assirt and says he is busy completing final tasks before he departs the research house. His successor has not yet been named.<B>
