Fund manager Milford Australia has appointed Ross Youngman to its board of directors.
Youngman was the chief executive and board director of Ausbil Investment Management for more than eight years before retiring from the firm, which has some $20 billion in assets under management (AUM), in 2023.
Utilising his deep expertise in global funds management, corporate strategy and international financial services, Youngman will join the Milford Australia board effective 19 January.
He will now work with chairman and non-executive director Anthony Quirk on the Milford board, along with Blair Turnbull and Wayne Gentle, both of which are executive directors and chief executives at Milford, to support the fund manager’s future.
John Ward, Lester Gray and Lindsay Wright are non-executive directors.
Alongside his new role, he is also the chief executive of the General Sir John Monash Foundation, an Australian postgraduate scholarship program.
Over his decades-long career in the financial services industry, Youngman has worked across Australia and the US, spending a decade as chief executive, co-founder and executive chairman of Five Oceans Asset Management.
Meanwhile, he spent much of the 90s and early 2000s with BT Funds Management, Bankers Trust and Deutsche Bank in leadership and C-suite roles.
Quirk said: “We are delighted to welcome Ross. His global leadership experience, combined with his philanthropic and governance contributions, will be invaluable as Milford pursues its strategic goals.”
Ross added: “I’m honoured to join the board of Milford, Australia. Throughout my career, I’ve believed in the power of governance, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership. I look forward to contributing to the company’s vision and growth.”
This announcement follows Milford’s launch of two fixed income funds late last year in response to advisers’ growing demand for more liquid, transparent credit solutions.
These includes the Corporate Bond Plus Fund, an actively managed fund investing in public traded Australian investment grade corporate, government, and semi-government securities, and the Active 100 Fund, which is high conviction domestic equity fund investing in ASX 100 listed Australian equities.
