Harbour Asset Management head of fixed income, Christian Hawkesby, is leaving the firm after eight years to take up the newly-created role of Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) assistant governor.
Hawkesby, a pivotal member of the Harbour fixed income and broader management team, will join the RBNZ in six weeks.
Andrew Bascand, Harbour chief, said long-time fixed income portfolio manager, Mark Brown, would replace Hawkesby while recent hire, George Henderson, steps up to run the boutique’s short duration and cash portfolios.
Fellow fixed income team member, Simon Pannett, has also been promoted to senior credit analyst.
Bascand said Harbour would likely recruit another analyst to further bolster the fixed income capability.
Harbour has over $4.5 billion under management including more than $2 billion in fixed income.
In a statement, he said: “We are very sad to have accepted Christian’s resignation. He has been an amazing colleague and leader for Harbour as we have grown a successful business, however this is a rare opportunity for him that is too good to turn down.”
Due to take up the RBNZ job in mid-March, Hawkesby’s responsibilities would include input into monetary policy research and implementation, foreign reserves management, and currency creation and distribution (including payment and settlement systems).
Adrian Orr, RBNZ governor, said in a release: “Bringing these activities together provides end-to-end management of all of the monetary policy activities of the Bank, from currency creation and distribution through to the setting of the Official Cash Rate to meet the Bank’s monetary policy and currency mandates. Combining these efforts will create more depth of experience, and generate opportunities for innovation.”
As well as Hawkesby, the RBNZ also hired Simone Robbers as another assistant governor with responsibilities covering governance, strategy and corporate relations.
Robbers was previously Financial Markets Authority (FMA) director strategy and risk.