O’Brien takes on funds management at AXA
AXAretail funds and superannuation marketing national manager Mick O’Brien has become the group’s new chief investment officer (CIO) after AXA decided to combine the role of former chief investment officer John Nairn with O’Brien’s marketing manager role.
O’Brien will be in charge of managing AXA’s Australian and New Zealand investment funds as well as overseeing the marketing of the company’s investment capability to dealer groups and research houses. He will report to AXA marketing and retail products general manager Richard Shermon.
“My new appointment is an important part of the growth of this business and will see me primarily focus on maximising the opportunities that are open to us through our joint venture with Alliance Capital Management,” O’Brien says.
O’Brien, who has also been a director of AXA’s superannuation and fund management business for the past four years, has 20 years experience in the financial services industry, 19 of which have been with AXA related companies such as National Mutual.
From 1996 O’Brien was National Mutual’s international business manager in charge of the group's joint venture life insurance business in Indonesia and Thailand and new business activities in India, Vietnam and the Phillipines.
While in this role, O’Brien finalised National Mutual’s Thailand joint venture, securing the operating license and overseeing the establishment of the business that would become Krungthai AXA Life.
Senior roles within the AXA Australian and New Zealand businesses followed, leading to O’Brien’s marketing national manager position.
O’Brien says AXA’s focus last year on the development of new platforms for service through the Alliance Capital Management joint venture, the sale of the group’s property funds to Deutsche Asset Management and its new investment products, puts the group in a position of continued growth.
“The next phase for us will be focused on maximising our opportunities from our unique position of being able to provide investors with world class investment capabilities in both the growth and value styles from Alliance Capital,” O’Brien says.
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