Iress has appointed Cameron Williamson as its new group chief financial officer (CFO), joining from Pendal.
The role, effective from 24 July, follows a thorough candidate search and evaluation process following the appointment of previous CFO, John Harris, to the role of chief executive of managed portfolio in April.
Williamson joins from Pendal where was CFO and has 25 years’ experience in leading finance operations in Australia and globally.
At Pendal, he oversaw the firm’s transformation from domestically focused fund manager to global player including acquisitions in the US and UK of US-based fund manager Thompson, Siegel and Walmsley and UK fund manager JO Hambro Capital Management (JOHCM).
Pendal itself was acquired by rival fund manager Perpetual earlier this year in the deal that was completed in January to create a $200 billion fund manager.
The deal created a “a global leader in multi-boutique asset management with significant scale, diversified investment strategies, world-class ESG capabilities and a stronger global distribution capability, complemented by high-quality wealth management and trustee businesses”.
Prior to joining Pendal, Williamson held roles at Franklin Templeton in Canada and UBS in London.
Iress group CEO, Marcus Price, said: “We are delighted to welcome Cameron to the Iress leadership team at what is a pivotal moment for the company. Cameron is a highly experienced CFO with a strong track record and extensive industry knowledge both in Australia and internationally.
“His expertise in strong financial management, collaborative approach to leadership and focus on growing shareholder value through corporate transformation will be a great asset to Iress both now and into the future.”
Williamson added: “I am thrilled to be joining Iress at what is an exciting period in its history. I have been impressed with Marcus, as well as the management team and board, who have outlined a clear strategy for the next phase in Iress’ growth. I look forward to getting started and am confident my experience and background is well-suited to deliver on Iress’ strategic goals.”
Earlier this year, Iress announced a management restructure following a strategic review of the business in order to drive a higher level of accountability and transparency.
Effective 1 July 2023, Iress’ leadership team would include Harry Mitchell as CEO of wealth management, Jason Hoang as CEO of trading and market data, Paul Giles as CEO of superannuation, and John Harris as CEO of managed portfolio.
Other appointments included Justin Schmitt as chief operating officer, David Hentschke as chief innovation officer, and Ana Smith as chief transformation and strategy officer.
Additionally, it announced a 10 per cent headcount reduction towards reducing cost.
