Garvan hits recruitment trail

MLC financial planning subsidiary Garvan Financial Planning has boosted its support services to match the strong growth of the group.

MLC financial planning subsidiary Garvan Financial Planning has boosted its support services to match the strong growth of the group.

Garvan has recruited a number of key personnel to back up its growth from a standing start two years ago to current level of more than 200 planners.

Former Suncorp Metway executive David Keys joins Garvan as Queensland state manager while former Sealcorp executive Aaron McCracken will head up WA operations.

Additionally, a number of Dealer managers have been recruited. They include Katrina Anderson as New South Wales dealership manager; Pi-erre Kraft and Mark Woods as South Australian dealer managers; and Justin Saddler and Robert Bumpstead as Victorian dealership managers.

Garvan general manager Greg Miller says the recent additions to the management team combined with the expertise of existing staff means that there will be "new ideas and challenges to the way we do busi-ness."

Production for Garvan in 1997/98, resulted in $6 million in risk products and $300 million in single premium products. In 1998/1999 Garvan's production recorded $8 million in risk products and $700 million in single premium products.

Miller says the group is still looking to increase adviser numbers, in line with the strategy to seek to deliver business processes and systems to the business person who operates a financial planning practise.

The process concentrates largely on the availability of proper docu-mentation of a firm. This will then provide a faster availability and access of files to all authorised personnel.

"Often there is only three or four staff members in a firm and so if one of the staff members leave then no one else is familiar with the companies management proc-esses," Miller said.