Milford Asset Management chair, Mark Cross, has been named to Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) board along with energy specialist, David Hunt.
Cross, a professional director for over 10 years, has chaired the Milford board since 2013 among other governance roles after an executive career that dates back to a corporate adviser role at the seminal NZ financial services group, Southpac, in the early 1990s. As well as the Milford gig, he is a director of big-name NZ firms Xero, Z Energy and Chorus.
Hunt, currently an independent member of the ACC investment committee, was chief of Contact Energy until 2006 before joining the Concept Consulting Group as a consultant director. Concept provides advice advice “on carbon, energy and utility sector-issues for governments and business in New Zealand, Australia and Singapore”.
Cross formally took up the ACC board responsibilities on August 1 with Hunt to follow a month later.
Departing ACC chair, Paula Rebstock, said in a release: “Mark and David bring a wealth of governance experience to the ACC Board and we look forward to their collective contribution.”
Rebstock was due to step down as ACC chair last week to be replaced by ex Labour Party senior member, Steve Maharey. ACC is also seeking a new chief executive following the resignation of incumbent, Scott Pickering, in April. Pickering finished his eight-year stint at the ACC on June 30. His replacement has yet to be revealed.
Elsewhere, Mint Asset Management head of marketing, David Boyle, has joined the board of fast-growing advisory firm, Aurora Financial.
Aurora, headed by Simon Rolland, has gathered over 60 advisers under its now financial advice provider (FAP) licence just five years after launching. While Aurora deals mainly in insurance and mortgage advice the group also recently launched a home-branded KiwiSaver scheme using the hosting facilities of Wellington firm Implemented Investment Services (IIS).
The Aurora KiwiSaver funds will be managed by ex AMP Capital head of multi-asset, Sean Henaghan, via a related company, Aurora Capital, which has appointed Mint as manager for some of the diversified options.
Boyle, who also sits on the boards of a couple of charities including the songwriting-in-schools group ‘Play it strange’, is a director for Aurora Financial only, serving alongside Rolland and another independent, Anoushka Hatch.
In Australia last week the storied funds management firm, Schroders, announced Asia-Pacific co-head, Chris Durack, would exit the business in October following a decade-long career at the group.
Durack was due to move to Asia to share the role with Susan Soh, who will assume sole charge.
A Schroders release says: “A change in family health circumstances prevented Durack’s planned relocation to Asia, necessitating the leadership change.”
He was named as Asia-Pacific co-head last year after taking on the head of Schroders Australia job in 2018.
Also across the ditch last week, Morningstar poached financial planning technology specialist, Ivon Gower, from the Bravura-owned robo-advice firm Midwinter to take up a product role.
Gower moves to Morningstar as financial planning products director for Australia and NZ.
He “will lead the organisation’s financial planning solutions including software AdviserLogic and PayLogic”, a Morningstar release says.
Prior to his more than two years at Midwinter, Gower held various advice technology related positions at CCUBE Integrated Wealth, AMP and the pioneering Australian financial planning software firm, Coin.