Zurich Financial Services Australia (ZFSA)has appointed Matthew Drennan to the new role of director of investments (portfolios and funds).
Drennan will oversee Zurich’s investment mandates withDeutsche Asset ManagementandChallenger Internationaland work with recently appointed investment consultantvan Eyk Research.
Formerly chief economist at Deutsche Asset Management, Drennan has 15 years experience within the industry, ten of these with Deutsche.
Zurich says the creation of the role will send a strong signal to the market that it is serious about funds management in Australia, even though it has outsourced most of its investment management capabilities.
“While we will continue to use external specialists where appropriate, Matthew’s appointment gives us internal investment expertise to draw upon for retail and wholesale markets,” ZFSA chief executive John Butler says.
According to Butler, the appointment is also reflective of Zurich’s commitment to independent financial advisers.
As part of his role, Drennan will be a point of contact for independent advisers, according to Zurich.
