The Financial Services Council (FSC) has hired Rachelle HardieNeil as its inaugural chief operating officer (COO) in preparation for more intense lobbying, research and engagement ahead.
FSC chief, Richard Klipin, said the board agreed to fund further investment in the industry association management capabilities with a bevy of new laws, regulation and broader challenges brewing for members.
He said HardieNeil would bring valuable operational skills to the increasingly complex industry organisation, which now boasts a secretariat team of 12 including Klipin and independent chair, Rob Flanagan.
She comes to the FSC following an 11-year stint in a similar operations job as executive director for the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.
According to the just-published annual report, the industry body booked a surplus of almost $440,000 for the 12 months to June 30 compared to $58,000 in the previous year.
Revenue rose to $2.7 million from just under $2.4 million for the 2021 period, mostly via membership fees that increased to almost $2.2 million versus $1.8 million in the 2021 reporting period.
Over the last few years the FSC has absorbed two other industry bodies – Workplace Savings NZ and the Health Funds Association – with membership growing from 57 in June 2019 to the current 106.
The industry association also announced Fidelity Life chief, Melissa Cantell, as a new board member last week Reuben Lawrence (BNZ) and Stewart Taylor (ANZ) step down.
Meanwhile, Salt Funds Management is on the lookout for a new equities analyst to replace Zoie Regan.
It is understood Regan is returning to her old shop at Fisher Funds where she served for seven years ending in August 2019.
She joined Salt as a senior equities analyst this January after a short stint as research director for Forsyth Barr MST Access Research.
Salt manages over $2 billion on behalf of retail and institutional investors. The previously Australasian equities focused business, which formed out of the in-house BT NZ investment team, has launched a series of global and diversified funds over the last couple of years using well-known offshore managers.