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Financial Advice NZ appoints professional development boss

Financial Advice New Zealand has created a new role of Professional Development, Standards and Policy Manager.

Leigh Hodgetts has been appointed to the role. She has many years of experience in professional development.

Most recently she was head of compliance and new mortgage dealer group, Kiwi Advice Network. Prior to that she has held roles with Kepa, Astute, ANZ and the Financial Markets Authority. "We are excited to have Leigh Hodgetts join the team at Financial Advice NZ," chief executive Katrina Shanks says. "Leigh brings significant knowledge to the team from her experience at KAN, Kepa, Astute and the FMA. In addition to this Leigh has been a financial adviser and holds a CFP. Leigh has a passion for professional development, lifting sector standards and ensuring financial advisers provide quality financial advice which can transform New Zealanders financial health, wealth and wellbeing."

Former ANZ Investments MD now heads up advice firm

The former managing director at ANZ Wealth and Private banking is now the chief executive of an Auckland based financial advice group.

Craig Mulholland has been appointed as the chief executive of Apex Advice.

Mulholland has more than 30 years experience in legal and commercial roles in large listed and private companies across a range of industries in New Zealand and overseas and was most recently he was the managing director of ANZ New Zealand Wealth and Private Bank business.

Apex was founded by Andrew Hay 30 years ago. Currently it is looking to grow its adviser numbers.

Mulholland was at ANZ for 10 years and left last June.

Under a new structure, that Mulholland helped create, private bank will in future report to ANZ personal banking and the wealth business is to be renamed Funds Management which is headed by Fiona McKenzie.

Ignite finds replacement for Fred Dodds

The Ignite adviser group has appointed a new chief executive to replace the late Fred Dodds.

Ignite, which is the former TOWER Financial Advisory Group, has appointed David van Schaardenburg as its new chief executive.

He takes over the role after the death of Fred Dodds last year. While Dodds was strong in the distribution space, van Schaaardenburg's background and experience is largely in the investment area.

Ignite chairman James King says the group is now largely made up of investment specialists. van Schaardenburg previously ran IPAC investment research, now known as FundSource, spent time at NZ Funds Management and more recently was with Findex.

Ignite has around 35 members and operates as a collective with each adviser or firm looking to get their own Financial Advice Provider licence.

Flint Wealth unveils its first chief executive

Flint Wealth, which is going headto-head with InvestNow and other platforms, has appointed Angela Vale as its chief executive.

Flint, which is owned by Research IP, Harbour Asset Management and Trustees Executors, launched in January and gives investors access to more than 100 managed funds, along with research and insights.

Vale is described as "a vocal advocate on issues of financial wellbeing and wealth." She has nearly two decades of experience in digital financial services and business innovation. Most recently she served as the chief executive of Footprint, a start-up in the digital estate planning and financial services sector.

Flint Wealth chairman Ryan Bessemer says, “We firmly believe the way investors consume investment services will change dramatically over the coming decade, and traditional service models – currently run by static industry stalwarts – will be significantly disrupted. With her depth and breadth of experience, we know Angela will drive the growth and customer-centric model of Flint Wealth forward.”

She joins Stuart Auld and Jonno O'Grady as part of the on-the-ground New Zealand team at Flint.

JMI Wealth and Select expand

The former chairman of the Lifetime Group’s investment committee joins JMI.

Joe Byrne has joined JMI Wealth's investment advisory team.

Byrne will be based on the Kapiti Coast and service the Wellington region. He was previously a financial adviser and chairman of the Investment Committee for Lifetime Group.

He was also head of investment solutions at Grosvenor Financial Services (now Booster) from December 2012 to May 2014.

JMI Wealth manage more than $2.5 billion of financial assets on behalf of clients, ranging from high net worth individuals and family offices to charities, corporate pension funds and iwi.

Meanwhile, sister company Select Wealth Management has appointed a new business development manager.

Stephen Hill has more than 20 years’ experience working in the financial services industry in both New Zealand and South Africa. Over the last five years in New Zealand, Hill has led workplace and corporate sales functions at AMP and Southern Cross Health Society.

Hill will work alongside senior business development manager Helen Robertson.

Head of Select Wealth Debbie Tuddenham says “he brings with him a strong history of working with financial advisers to help them support their clients and grow their businesses.”

Brian Gaynor

One of the titans of New Zealand's capital markets, Brian Gaynor, passed away last month after a brief illness.

Gaynor co-founded Milford Asset Management which has grown into one of New Zealand’s most successful investment houses, with $15 billion under management.

Among many accolades, Gaynor was twice awarded the NZ Shareholders Association Beacon Award in 2020 and 2006. His distinguished career included roles as a partner and head of research at Jarden, chairman of the New Zealand Society of Investment Analysts and chairman of the Asian Securities Analysts Council.

The NZX paid tribute to Gaynor, acknowledging his immense contribution to capital markets over nearly five decades.

“As one of the country’s leading investment analysts, Brian was a titan of New Zealand’s capital markets,” NZX chairman James Miller says.

“Brian would be one of most influential people in the 150-year history of New Zealand’s capital markets and the NZX.”

“He had an amazing career from equity analyst to entrepreneurial fund manager, while also being a leading business commentator.

“Brian was a highly visible leader with a first-class intellect who was passionate about capital markets and the role they played in the wider economy.

“One of his great strengths was his willingness to foster debate by openly and courageously sharing his views. He had incredible market knowledge, history and insights.”

Obituaries

Roger Moses

Roger Moses is remembered as a pioneering financial adviser, but also as a jailed finance company director.

Moses, 80, died at the end of last month.

He was undoubtedly a pioneer of financial advice and worked tirelessly to develop professional standards for the industry.

Fellow industry stalwart Graham Rich said that Moses was one of the founding members of what was called the International Association of Financial Planning, the IAFP. Over the years this association has morphed into various entities and now is called Financial Advice New Zealad.

“He spent hundreds, probably thousands of hours, pro bono, helping to establish the financial planning profession,” Rich said.

Mose, Rich says, “was a bloke who was incredibly generous of spirit, time and money.”

“Suffice it to say that without Roger Moses and others, quality investment advice and financial planning would not have become established and recognised in anything like the way that it did in the early 1980s.”

Moses became a household name when he was taken to court in 2011 after the company he was a director of, Nathans Finance, collapsed.

Moses was jailed along with a fellow director while a third received a lesser sentence.

Group Relationships Manager

The Milestone Joint Venture is an unincorporated joint venture of independently owned financial advice practices with operations based in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Christchurch, Timaru and Queenstown. The joint venture operates a shared services arrangement which allows the individual practices, known as the ‘Core’ , to benefit from scale and efficiency by pooling resources, buying power and knowledge. Across the Core, we provide advice on wealth management, KiwiSaver, insurance and mortgages.

OutsideOutside thethe Core,Core, wewe alsoalso provideprovide accessaccess toto investment,investment, research,research, marketingmarketing andand compliancecompliance servicesservices toto otherother I IFAs (external independent financial advice practices) throughout New Zealand.

The location of this role can be flexible, but with a preference to operate out of one of our existing offices (Hastings, Christchurch, Timaru, or Queenstown) – and an expectation of travel nationally to other offices.

The Group Relationships Manager will lead, manage and grow all aspects of the joint venture offering. This will be a part time role, of 0.5 full time equivalent.

The successful candidate will hold/demonstrate the following:

Education:Education:

• Tertiary qualification in business or finance.

Experience:

• Experience in a senior management role. • Extensive experience within Australasian financial advice industry.

Attributes:

• Operational focus. • • An ability to deliver. • Strong network within the NZ financial advice and funds management community. • Excellent written and verbal presentation skills. • Proven track record of driving and managing business process within an organisation. • Highly motivated, achievement-oriented and innovative professional Interested candidates please forward your CV to the Milestone JV Chair at Darren.hull@milestone.co.nz