E&P Financial Group’s chief financial officer and joint company secretary, Stephen Hill, has announced his departure in June as the firm fills the position internally.
The firm announced that Hill will step down from his role as CFO and joint company secretary on 30 June 2024.
E&P has internally appointed its director of corporate finance and strategy, Robert Darwell, to fill the position. The company noted that Mike Adams will also continue as joint company secretary and general counsel.
Ben Keeble, E&P chief executive, thanked Hill for his significant contribution to the firm since he joined nine years ago.
“While we are saddened Stephen is leaving, we know that he leaves behind a high performing finance function, and we wish him the best with his future endeavours,” he said.
Hill first commenced at E&P in 2015 as group financial controller before becoming deputy CFO in 2021. He was then appointed CFO and joint company secretary in 2022.
The CEO continued: “We are excited by the prospect of Robert stepping up to the role, and we believe his skills and experience will complement the company through its next phase of growth.”
Darwell also joined the firm in 2015 as an analyst and progressed into several associate positions. In his role as director of corporate finance and strategy, Darwell’s responsibilities included managing corporate development, investor relations, FP&A, company secretary and broader group strategy.
In June 2023, the financial services firm appointed Keeble as its CEO to replace Peter Anderson, who held the role since July 2019 and had been managing director since November 2021.
At the time of joining E&P in June 2019, Anderson was tasked with addressing the legacy issues within Dixon Advisory and Superannuation Services (DASS) and the fund management business. The firm said this was expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
E&P was the parent company of Dixon Advisory, which entered voluntary administration in January 2022 after its directors determined mounting actual and potential liabilities meant it was likely to become insolvent.
Since 1 July 2022, E&P Wealth has been shifting its Dixon Advisory private clients into a new division of Retail Wealth Management (RWM).
“In the past period, we were focused on transitioning existing clients to the service. With that process now tapering off, our focus has shifted to expanding the client base,” Keeble said earlier this year.
It ended the six-month period with over 7,500 clients in E&P Wealth, which is the result of centralised business development initiatives focused on specific market segments.
