‘From typewriters to AI’: Melbourne advice firm celebrates 40 years of operation

Hewison Private Wealth, a Melbourne-based financial advice firm, has marked four decades of service after making its start as a “truly independent advice business”.

Established in 1985 by John and Helen Hewison under the name Hewison & Associates, the firm was founded on the mission of providing truly independent financial advice in a time when product-linked advice was the norm.

John Hewison said: "I believed there was a better way to serve clients, one based entirely on independence and doing what’s right, by our clients.”

Having started as a home-run business, the firm later moved to a small office in Melbourne's South Yarra to now taking up an entire floor on St Kilda Road. After 40 years of operation, the Hewison now has a team of more than 60 professionals, with almost $3 billion in funds under management (FUM) across its national client base.

Over its time of operating, the firm said it developed an investment philosophy built on direct ownership, disciplined strategy, and long-term value creation, a strategy that has weathered many market cycles, including the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and, more recently, COVID-19.

Driven by four company values – fun, family, empowerment, and excellence – managing director Andrew Hewison said these guiding principles are “the reason our people stay, our clients trust us, and our business continues to thrive”.

He added: “We don’t aim to be the biggest, we aim to be the best. My father taught me to always put the client’s interests before your own, and I’m proud that principle still defines who we are today.”

Reflecting on the firm’s current position, Andrew said it remains one of the “few truly independent advice businesses in Australia”, arguing that this independence is key to the firm’s ongoing innovation.

“We’re the youngest 40-year-old business you’ll find. Our drive to improve, challenge convention, and serve clients without compromise has never been stronger.”

The firm added: “As the financial advice industry continues to evolve, the firm’s unwavering independence and ethical foundations stand as proof that client-centric advice and commercial success can coexist, sustainably, and without compromise.  

“From typewriters to AI, from small beginnings with a bold vision to be one of Australia’s largest independent firms, Hewison Private Wealth’s journey mirrors the transformation of modern financial advice and continues to set the standard for what true independence can achieve."