Milford Asset Management has appointed a new chief executive to replace Mark Ryland who departs after 11 years.
Blair Turnbull will join the New Zealand-based fund manager on 12 March and be based in Auckland.
He joins from New Zealand insurance firm Tower, which he joined as chief executive in 2020, and has expertise in digital technology. Prior to this, he spent six years in the UK at Aviva where he held a variety of roles including managing director for digital & retail, UK and international.
Turnbull will replace Mark Ryland who has held the CEO role since 2019 and worked at Milford since February 2017 when he joined as head of products and operations.
Milford chair, Anthony Quirk, said: “Blair’s strong leadership skills, broad financial services background, coupled with a deep knowledge in client-centric delivery and digital innovation, will add value to our business both in New Zealand and Australia.
“As we welcome Blair to Milford, we extend our appreciation to Mark Ryland, who will step down as CEO on Blair’s commencement date. Mark has made an invaluable contribution to the business during his 11-year tenure with the company, and we thank him for his ongoing support and commitment to a smooth transition of leadership.”
Turnbull commented: “I am delighted to be joining such a high-performing and thriving business. Milford’s performance track record as well as its emphasis on client alignment has been strongly consistent, and I look forward to contributing to Milford’s continued growth and development in New Zealand and Australia.”
Milford was founded in 2003 and opened its first office in Australia in 2014. It now has $22 billion in assets under management and offers five funds for Australian wholesale and advised clients: Australian Absolute Growth, Dynamic Small Companies, Diversified Income, Global Real Asset and Global Opportunities.
Earlier this year, Ophir Asset Management appointed Brendan Carrig as its new chief executive to replace George Chirakis who left to take on a role at private equity firm Scarcity Partners.
He joined Ophir from Macquarie Group where he spent 11 years, most recently as a senior equity research analyst which he held for almost five years.
Andrew Mitchell, co-founder of Ophir, said: “Brendan Carrig joined Ophir as CEO in November 2024. Brendan joins from Macquarie Equities where he was an associate director and top-rated small cap analyst and sector head in diversified financials.
“We wish George all the best at Scarcity and look forward to dealing with him in his new role.”
