AZ NGA has bolstered its executive team with the creation of an executive general manager role, as it looks to HUB24 to fill the position.
The professional services firm has appointed Chesne Stafford in the newly created role of executive general manager.
Currently, Stafford is the chief growth officer at wealth management platform HUB24. She will commence her new role in July 2024 and will report to Paul Barrett, AZ NGA chief executive.
Stafford holds more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, spanning across superannuation, wealth management, life insurance and financial advice.
Prior to joining HUB24 in 2022, she was at MetLife for seven years in various senior roles including chief distribution officer. Stafford also spent over a decade at OnePath and MLC in sales strategy and advice positions.
“Financial advice is life-changing and this role enables me to make a greater difference in helping more people get access through the growth and prosperity of high-quality wealth firms,” Stafford said.
Also commenting on the appointment, Barrett remarked: “Chesne is a strong leader with a proven record of driving growth and delivering value to clients. We are excited to have her on board at this important time for AZ NGA, as we seek to accelerate our growth, develop a customer strategy, and cement our position as Australia’s leading professional advisory business.
“AZ NGA is maturing and changing shape. We are on an exciting journey, as we seize the enormous opportunity in front of us to fill the void left by the institutional exit from personal advice. We want to partner with accounting and advisory firms to deliver quality advice to more Australians.”
Last year marked a highly active period of M&A for the advisory group, as it executed 17 transactions in 2024 – 13 by its member firms and four by AZ NGA directly.
Most recently, the company acquired Catalina Consultants, an outsourced human resources company with 17 HR consultants.
Barrett recently told Money Management that AZ NGA has never been more active in the acquisitions space, with its M&A appetite remaining “very, very high”.
“I’ve never seen the market more buoyant and confident about [M&A]. There’s so much going on,” he expressed.
