The way we were...
Rightback at the start of it all, among many others, of course, was Bernie Walshe.
Walshe was widely recognised for his hard work in the development of financial planning as a profession in its own right and continues to work inCameron Walshe, the financial planning group he founded along with John Cameron, which is now owned by Royal & SunAlliance (RSA).
A couple of other former FPA high flyers still kicking around the financial services stage today are Tony Beale and Laura Menschik.
Beale is now the longstanding managing director of Queensland-based financial planning groupBarbacan Benefits, while Menschik is managing director of her own dealer group,Millennium Financial Services.
Menschik lives long inMoney Management’smemory for her 1999 quote: “Whatever it is, I’ve got it.” She swears she was talking about insurance.
Another stalwart still playing a role in the industry is Ian Knox. Now top dog at Sealcorp, Knox had stints at Growth Equities Mutual (GEM) and MLC Corporate Benefits.
Many other players who made headlines in the past have also ended up in very respectable places.
Dr Peter Jonson, who after 16 years at theReserve Bankheld senior executive roles at James Capel,Norwich UnionandANZ Funds Management, pursued a career as a professional director and economist.
Richard Colless, Armstrong Jones heavy and founder of Pacific Mutual (which was acquired by Mercantile Mutual — nowING) beame a non-executive director of ING Real Estate and sits on various public and private company boards as does Geoff Tomlinson, former group managing director of National Mutual.
Gil Hoskins, the man who pipped National Mutual stablemate Ian Ferres at the post in 1990 for the top job became chairman of Sausage Software and thenWealthpointbefore recently getting the same gig atChallenger International.
After losing to Hoskins, Ferres picked up his bat and ball and went home “for an early retirement” but is still actively employed today as group managing director ofAustralian Unity.
Terry Power, the man synonymous with BT in the early days, is now chairman of Melbourne-based accountant and planning aggregatorInvestor Group, while Max Weston, who along with John Godfrey founded Godfrey Weston, is now with Ord Minnett and sits on the FPA Financial Education in Schools Taskforce. Godfrey recently set up financial planning dealer groupLowell Flinderswith other industry stalwarts Gwen Fletcher and Ivan Barr.
Alan Cameron, former chair of the Australian Securities Commission andAustralian Securities and Investments Commissionjoined with former head of theInvestment and Financial Services Association, Lynn Ralph, to establish an independent corporate governance assessment company, Cameron Ralph.
And while it’s not news that research house guru Stephen van Eyk is still out and about, his former partner James Purvis has had a much lower industry profile since the Purvis-van Eyk split in 1995. Purvis established United Funds Management but is now chairman ofAtune Finanical Solutions, the Kaz industry fund joint venture that suffered numerous delays and setbacks before finally launching this year.
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