Lonsechas named the former head of distribution withZurich Financial Services, Steve Newnham, as its’ marketing and distribution manager as part of a raft of changes within the group.
The changes include the addition or further staff, the opening of a Sydney office and the adoption of Lonsec as the company’s full name, replacing Lonsdale Securities and cementing the place of the shorthand name in the market.
Newnham headed the distribution team at Zurich for almost four years and stood down in December last year and has worked in a similar role atBT Funds Managementfor 13 years, before departing in March 2000.
At Lonsec, which is fully owned by Zurich, Newnham will work with national marketing manager John O’Shea to expand NSW sales of the group’s research and stockbroking services, including listed equities, managed funds, property and agribusiness research.
As part of driving the group’s sales in the state Lonsec has opened a Sydney office and hired ex-Macquariestaffers Julie-Anne Duncan and Sandy Isherwood as investment advisers on the Sydney-based stockbroking sales team, with the two to work alongside senior managed funds research investment analyst Amanda Gillespie.
The group says it is committed to its Melbourne base but the growth of clients in NSW drove the need for a second office and the addition of research analysts in the property and managed funds research teams with Pete Morrissey, previously with Reality Investments, joining as a senior property investment analyst.
Brett Chatfield and Lin Ngin, previously withKPMGandPerennial Investment Partnersrespectively have also joined as investment analysts within the managed funds team pushing its total size to 21 staff.
