Australian Executor Trustees (AET), one of Australia’s largest professional trustee organisations, has announced the appointments of Matt Pearson, Paul O’Neill and Darryl Hughes to their Compensation Trust Team. These appointments further strengthen the distribution and client relationship expertise of AET’s Compensation Trust Team.
Matt Pearson has been appointed as Head of Client Engagement – Private Client Services and Paul O’Neill and Darryl Hughes appointed as Senior Managers – Business Development Private Client Services in Sydney and Perth, respectively.
Matt Pearson and Paul O’Neill both join AET from Perpetual Trustees, where they managed health and personal injury services and compensation trusts.
At AET, Matt Pearson is responsible for leading the compensation, Native Title, estate and trust administration teams to ensure clients and their professional advisers receive the highest levels of service, advice and ongoing engagement. He joins AET with 20 years’ experience in the financial and trustee services industries, having built a solid career in the fields of law and finance. He has managed teams responsible for trust, estate administration and compensation matters and holds a law degree from the University of London.
Paul O’Neill works closely with legal advisers, families and case managers to organise, invest and protect compensation payments for clients who have faced significant health and personal injury. Paul is committed to understanding the individual needs of each client and developing strategies to provide ongoing financial, lifestyle and social support to maximise their quality and enjoyment of life. He has over 30 years’ experience in the trustee services industry specialising in the complex area of health and personal injury services and compensation trusts.
Darryl Hughes joins AET’s Perth office as a senior business development manager across the full suite of AET’s private client services with a focus on personal injury. Prior to AET, he spent 17 years with National Australia Trustees. He specialises in compensation trust work, with a strong reputation amongst plaintiff personal injury law firms in Western Australia.
Commenting on the appointments, Gary Riordan, General Counsel & General Manager – Trustee Services, said: “Matt, Paul and Darryl bring a combined experience of more than 85 years to our Compensation Trust Team, making it one of the largest and most experienced teams of its kind in Australia.
“Each team member has a wealth of expertise in the specialist area of compensation trusts and personal injury and these senior appointments will further bolster our commitment to providing highly personalised care to our clients and their families.”
Jane Campbell, Principal, Aeran, added: “I’ve worked with the AET Compensation Trust Team for many years. The experience they bring to complicated matters and the highly personalised level of care they provide to clients is outstanding. Furthermore, they embrace the benefits of obtaining independent financial advice for their clients.”