Retiring Freeman honoured
Money Management has named retiring BT Financial Group General Manager of Advisor Distribution, Chris Freeman, as the recipient of the 2015 Money Management/Count Financial Lifetime Achievement Award.
In being named a recipient of the award, Freeman joins a roll call of other Australian financial services luminaries which include the late Gwen Fletcher, Count Financial founder, Barry Lambert, leading researcher, Stephen van Eyk, and funds management stalwart and founder of Platinum Asset Management, Kerr Neilson.
Confirming Freeman's selection as a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, Money Management managing editor, Mike Taylor, said it reflected four decades of commitment to the financial services industry across a variety of roles.
Freeman began his career as a chartered accountant, starting his career with a nine year stint at a chartered accountancy firm that was sold to Coopers and Lybrand. From there he went into practice with two colleagues, and after five years in his own accountancy practice, pursued a career in investment banking, joining stockbrokers Jackson Limited, where he was an Institutional Equities Dealer and managed the Hong Kong office for two years.
Freeman's long career at BT began in 1989 when he joined the then Bankers Trust in Sydney in the investment bank - something which saw him take on many different roles across the organisation.
In 2005 Freeman was appointed the Head of Wrap Solutions and most recently he has been General Manager of Advisory Distribution.
It says something about the high regard in which he is held that BT is creating an award - the BT Ambassador award - to reflect his contribution to the business.
While leaving his full-time role at BT in the next few months, Freeman will continue to consult to the business over the next two years.
Recommended for you
Money Management spoke with two brand consultants to how Perpetual can best rebrand its business as the 138-year name is sold to private equity firm KKR.
Pinnacle remains a “standout” fund manager, according to Morningstar, amid a challenging backdrop for active asset management and the addition of a new global equities affiliate from the UK.
Platinum Asset Management saw outflows of $1.65 billion in April, partly as a result of redemptions from institutional mandates and product rationalisation initiatives.
In this latest Meet the Manager profile, Money Management speaks with Ophir Asset Management co-chief executive Andrew Mitchell.