PEOPLE

New GM for Liberty

After a long career at ASB and Sovereign Adrian Chase has jumped ship and joined Liberty Finance.

Chase spent more than 22 years at the bank and nine of those was heading Sovereign Home Loans.

He is now the general manager of Liberty Finance.

He told TMM that the move was simply because it was time for a change.

Mark Collins remains the overall head of the group which includes Mike Pero Mortgages, Mike Pero Real Estate and Liberty’s lending and deposit business.

Meanwhile, Mike Pero Mortgages has a new franchise owner in Auckland.

Natasha Popova has more than 10 years of experience in finance and accounting, and has a keen interest in helping buyers get onto the property ladder, “whether it’s through tailor-made loan solutions, debt consolidation, goal setting or affordability reporting,” Popova said.

She moved to New Zealand from the UK four years ago.

Popova said: “I believe in the importance of the ‘why?’ in achieving my goals. This inspires me to help people and their families settle into their dream homes, and support their why?”

Kelly Brough makes strides as National Manager, Link Group

Kelly Brough was appointed National Manager of Link Group in April this year and has helped the group grow.

Link Group CEO Josh Bronkhorst says: “Kelly was the obvious choice: Delivering the level of professional support we are committed to for our advisers required someone with exceptional management skills, as well as a real understanding of what advisers need.”

In her first few months in the role, Brough has focused on fine-tuning support team functions and operational efficiency under the new regime; delivering a range of licensing resources to the adviser network, to reinforce understanding of requirements and to give advisers confidence in new business practices; and onboarding a rapidly increasing number of advisers new to the group.

“Stability and support that can be counted on is high on the list of priorities for many advisers looking at their options in the new regime,” Link Group fits that bill – we’re well known for our commitment to collective success and fostering a culture that’s like an extended family,” says Brough.

In the last 12 months Link Group adviser numbers have continued to increase; growth that has continued since the new regime commenced on March 15.

“It’s a real privilege to take on the National Manager role of the group that I chose as ‘home’ some 11 years ago. In that time I have seen this business evolve, work through the challenge of change, continue to grow, and importantly maintain the tight-knit culture that the Mortgage Link Board committed to in 1991. Josh and the new Link Board remain committed to maintaining and growing this culture. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in this new era of financial advice,” says Brough.

Brough has more than 11 years’ experience with the group, first as an adviser for nine years and then as Business Development Manager for two years.

She is responsible for managing the head office team and operations, provider relationships licensing, compliance, adviser network development and the group’s bespoke CRM, Advice Link, Brough has already made her mark on the role, Bronkhorst says.

FMA names its third CEO

The Financial Markets Authority has appointed an experienced international regulator to take over from Rob Everett who leaves at the end of October.

Samantha Barrass will take over from Everett in January next year and FMA general counsel Liam Mason will be acting chief executive in the months before her arrival.

Barrass, while currently based in London, has a strong New Zealand connection and brings deep international regulatory experience and leadership skills to the role.

She has worked in a range of regulatory and executive roles in the UK and Europe and between 2014 and 2019 was the chief executive of the financial regulator in Gibraltar providing conduct and prudential regulatory oversight.

Earlier in her career, she worked for nine years in several roles at the Financial Services Authority in the UK (now the Financial Conduct Authority).

She has also held senior roles at the UK Solicitors Regulatory Authority and the London Investment Banking Association.

After graduating in economics from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch and completing post-graduate study at Victoria University of Wellington, Barrass began her career as an economist at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

“Her experience as a consensusbuilding leader will stand the FMA in good stead as it continues its current activities and readies itself for a wider mandate in regulating banks and insurers, as well as climate change reporting,” FMA chairman Mark Todd said.

Barrass said the FMA is at an important juncture in its journey to support and enhance the economy and financial health of New Zealand. ✚