Guardian updates adviser growth strategy

Suncorp-owned dealer group Guardian Advice has updated its growth strategy, announcing plans to grow adviser numbers to 300 by 2016.

The announcement follows an earlier strategy to grow adviser numbers to 200 by 2015, but the dealer group had already hit this mark, Guardian confirmed.

This could be a result of a recent move to provide refuge to a few planners who were previously working under AAA Financial Intelligence, which had its licence cancelled by the industry regulator in January.

To align with the new strategy, Guardian head Simon Harris also announced the appointment of a new state manager for Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA).

Based in Perth, the new state manager Steve Coyle would be responsible for growing and managing the dealer group's network in WA and SA, working closely with Guardian's equity partner business in the two states and continuing to manage Guardian's succession planning strategy in that region.

Coyle, who spent 27 years in the financial services industry, most recently worked for NAB/MLC and AMP.

Coyle's appointment follows that of Mark Kevin as the new NSW/ACT state manager in April.

In February this year, Guardian announced a new succession planning strategy, which would see a smoother transition to retirement for Baby Boomer advisers, while attracting the younger generation of planners to the dealer group.

The last few months have also seen the dealer group form a strategic partnership with Zurich Australia on social media and mobile technology.