AMP execs and advisers stranded by volcanic ash

Scores of AMP’s senior executives and financial advisers have had their travel plans disrupted by the volcanic ash wreaking havoc on Europe’s flight paths.

AMP’s week-long bi-annual offshore conference has just taken place in Ireland, but the ash emanating from an Icelandic volcano has left around 30 Hillross and around 100 high performance AMP financial planners, as well AMP senior managers, grounded. Executives stranded by the ash include AMP’s director of financial planning, Steve Helmich, and AMP Financial Planning managing director Michael Guggenheimer.

The conference ended almost a week ago on April 17 but an AMP spokesperson said most of the advisers attending the conference had planned to extend their travel, and as such were currently on annual leave. There were a small number who had been intending to return to Australia and AMP was doing everything possible to assist them, the spokesperson said.

The Icelandic volcanic eruption also disrupted the travel plans of European delegates’ attending the Financial Planning Standards Board’s global conference in Taiwan this week, but it didn’t stop the attendance of Australian Financial Planning Association chair Julie Berry and deputy chief Deen Sanders.

Flights across some parts of Europe have now resumed, but the backlog of travellers means it will be some weeks before flight schedules return to normal. Some travellers departing Australia for Europe are expected to wait weeks to be rebooked on flights.

This week the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission greenlit AMP's bid for AXA Asia Pacific while blocking that proposed by the National Australia Bank.

AMP held its annual local AMP/Hillross annual conference in Melbourne in January.