Australia’s leading specialist trustee company, Equity Trustees has announced new leadership of its in-house asset management function following a review earlier this year.
Darren Thompson will take up the position of Head of Asset Management, and Chris Haynes the position of Head of Australian Equities, on 1 October 2018. They will be based in Melbourne and bring decades of experience in managing large-scale portfolios and delivering excellent investment returns to clients.
“We’re delighted to announce these appointments following a deep analysis of how Equity Trustees can deliver the best outcomes for clients who entrust us with their funds, and rely on us for income from those funds,” said Mick O’Brien, Managing Director, Equity Trustees.
“Darren co-founded Northward Capital in 2007 after moving from IAG Asset Management. He brings to Equity Trustees 30 years’ experience and proven success in the evaluation, structuring and execution of investments, leveraging analytics and commercial insight to deliver excellent investment returns to clients.
“Chris brings over 25 years’ experience in investment and portfolio management. His proven track record of consistently over benchmark results as well as his people management and team building skills ensures a positive injection of talent to our business,” Mr O’Brien said.
The pair, who have worked together since 2013, will be responsible for the management and development of the Equity Trustees’ asset management business, responsible for $3.6 billion of FUM. Funds are managed in a customised manner to deliver to trustee clients’ specific investment needs.
“As a contemporary trustee company we must constantly adapt to the changing needs of our clients and markets. We have built our success over 130 years, and these appointments reflect our commitment to continue to invest in our asset management capability for the benefit of our clients,” said Mr O’Brien.
“Equity Trustees has a long and distinguished history of focussing on client needs,” said Mr Thompson. “Chris and I are excited by the opportunity to build on these foundations and apply our expertise and performance-focus to provide bespoke investment solutions across a diverse range of client and beneficiary requirements.”
Mr O’Brien added: “Equity Trustees has been fortunate to have committed leadership in the asset management team as we went through the review period, resulting in maintenance of portfolio performance. It provides a solid foundation for the new leadership who will bring their unique energy and outlook to the asset management team.
“Darren and Chris bring outstanding capability and expertise to our team and I look forward to introducing them to our clients.”
