AZ NGA acquires majority stake in Geographe Financial Group
Bill O’Byrne
Advice platform, AZ NGA has increased its stake in financial advisory firm, Geographe Financial Group, one of Western Australia’s oldest financial planning businesses.
Established in 1976 by Bill O’Byrne, Geographe Financial Group provides holistic advice on superannuation, investments and insurance to clients from the South West region of Western Australia through to Perth.
The firm has five financial planners, a professional year associate, 10 employees and offices in Busselton and Bunbury.
In 2024, AZ NGA gained a minority stake in Geographe Financial Group and 15 other leading advice businesses through its acquisition of AMP’s Equity Portfolio, with ambitions to increase its shareholding in some firms over time and ultimately become a majority owner.
Paul Barrett, AZ NGA Group Chief Executive Officer, said the transaction reflected the group’s ability and preparedness to structure deals to meet the evolving needs and timeframe of advisers and business owners.
“We’ve gotten to know the exceptional team at Geographe really well in the past year and they are experts at what they do, and passionate about raising up the next generation of advisers,” he said.
“The firm provides a truly integrated advice service, giving confidence to clients who have a dream for a better and richer life, and we are excited to expand our relationship and assist with the next phase of growth.”
The deal will see Bill O’Byrne retire and longstanding Geographe Director Craig Gibson, who joined the business in 1986, wind back his involvement in day-to-day operations to focus exclusively on seeing clients.
Financial advisers, Sean Spencer and Brent O’Byrne, who is Bill’s son, will increase their shareholding and step into expanded leadership roles.
ccording to Spencer, the firm’s strategic partnership with AZ NGA delivers both succession and growth solutions, as well as greater clarity and confidence for remaining partners and staff about the future.
“The South West region is growing rapidly and there is a fantastic opportunity to serve more clients, partner with other advisers in the area and expand through M&A,” he said.
“We have ambitious plans to grow and add more planners, and also increase our productivity, efficiency and capacity by leveraging the resources, expertise and scale of AZ NGA.”
Over the past 50 years, Geographe has primarily grown through organic activity, receiving a constant stream of referrals from existing clients and centres of influence, however, M&A will be a bigger part of the firm’s growth strategy going forward.
“We have established strong relationships within our organisation, and there is significant interest from other firms in joining us. With the support of AZ NGA, we are well-positioned to accelerate our growth and successfully execute our strategic plans,” Spencer said.
