HFA more than doubles distribution force

HFA Asset Managementhas significantly bolstered its distribution force, appointing five new business development managers (BDMs) to what is now a national team of eight.

Having more than doubled the size of the distribution team over the past six months, HFA head of distribution Oscar Martinis says the move is in response to increasing demand from advisers and planners for absolute return-style investment funds.

“We simply could not get out to every financial adviser who wanted to see us with a national team of three BDMs,” Martinis says.

As a result new BDM positions have been created in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.

Edmund Nasser, who was formerly a BDM withHSBC Asset Management, has joined HFA in New South Wales, former Macquarie Bank BDM Shane Bensted has joined in Queensland and Giuliano Sala Tenna, who was most recently a BDM withColonial First State, has joined in Western Australia.

Two appointments have been made for Victoria, with Anastasios Moralis, formerly national key accounts manager atInvescoand Darren Katz, formerly an equity derivatives trader at Macquarie Bank, joining the group.

The new team members join existing BDMs Chris Comino, Dan Abbink and Kerry Sarten who were responsible for NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania — the only states previously serviced by HFA.

HFA has also beefed up its adviser services team, appointing Natasha Lee as adviser services manager. Supporting Lee are additional new recruits Katherine File and Lisa Scott, who joined the group earlier this year.