Jason Huddy, current chief operating officer, will take over as the new chief executive of Zenith Investment Partners as founder David Wright steps down after 20 years.
Former CEO, David Wright, will transition into a new position of investment director at the end of the year, but will remain on the local board and executive team.
Wright reflected that his choice to step away from the chief executive role was a logical and pragmatic decision.
He has held the role since October 2002, joining the research firm from IWL.
“Now is the time to ‘pass the baton’ to Jason. Given his time with the business and strong understanding of Zenith’s operations and client base, I’m confident our clients, stakeholders and staff will be in good hands under his leadership. I believe that the business requires an experienced, strategic leader and Jason is that leader,” he said.
“I’m genuinely looking forward to remaining with the business and using my extensive fund research and portfolio management experience to support the portfolio solutions, research and sales teams to deliver on their client service responsibilities.”
In 2021, Wright oversaw the acquisition of Zenith by UK data business FE fundinfo.
Huddy joined Zenith as chief operating officer in 2019 and holds more than three decades of experience in wealth and fund management.
He began a Perth-based sales role at National Mutual (AXA) before his 16-year career at Macquarie. This included three years leading its banking and financial services business in the UK.
Huddy then moved to NAB Capital Markets, NAB Asset Management and more recently as executive director of ARCO Investment Management, a Melbourne-based boutique funds manager.
Commenting on his new appointment, he said: “I’m delighted to be moving into the CEO role and also to continue to work with David and our broader team in delivering our research, portfolio and data services to clients.
“We continue to be an ambitious company for our clients and staff and I look forward to continuing the client-focused growth that David and the team have achieved to date.”
