Jack Regan

Hillross is celebrating its 30th anniversary having helped more than one hundred thousand clients to achieve ‘Financial Freedom’.

Since 1987, the Hillross license has grown to become a community of 319 financial advisers across Australia as of June 2017.

Dean Thomas, Managing Director of Hillross, said, “The passion and commitment of our advisers is a rare quality. We partner with our clients for the long term, offering a unique and personalised experience that’s tailored to their needs and financial dreams.

“We offer advisers the boutique positioning of a small licensee. We enjoy the agility and camaraderie of a strong community of advisers, while having access to the commercial intelligence and investment capacity of AMP, the largest financial advice network in the country.

Hillross is proud of its professionally qualified advisers, who have amongst the highest proportion of certified financial planners (CFP) in the profession.

Jack Regan, Group Executive of Advice and New Zealand at AMP, who was Managing Director of Hillross at the turn of the century, added, “’I reflect on my time with Hillross with great affection, marked by the development of so many enduring relationships with so many of our industry’s leading professionals. Hillross is its advisers, and they are renowned for client care and outstanding advice capability.

A special version of the Hillross logo has been developed to mark the occasion.

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Tim Gray

Hillross adviser Tim Gray has been awarded the top gong for his ongoing professionalism and quality client service in the annual Hillross awards.

Open to certified financial planners (CFP®), the awards recognise individual advisers and practices that demonstrate high levels of professionalism, operational excellence, superior client service and quality advice.

Managing Director Hillross and AMP Financial Planning, Michael Guggenheimer praised the achievements of the award recipients.

“We know the real difference financial advisers can make in helping people plan for a more secure future. These awards acknowledge advisers and businesses which are leading the way in helping customers achieve their financial goals through quality advice,”he said.

Advisers can nominate colleagues or self-nominate for the awards, with submissions assessed by a panel of industry experts.

Clients of the finalists are also surveyed by an independent research specialist to assess client satisfaction as part of the judging process.

Adviser of the Year

Tim Gray of Net Worth Financial Planners was awarded Hillross Adviser of the Year, recognising his quality client service.

“Tim joined Hillross in 2004 and has successfully grown his practice through client referrals, which is testament to his strong relationships and quality advice. Customer feedback consistently highlights Tim’s focus on setting meaningful goals that help customers achieve their idea of financial freedom,”Mr Guggenheimer said.

New Adviser of the Year

The coveted Hillross New Adviser of the Year was collected by Nat Daley of Hillross Tweed Valley.

Nat commenced working with Hillross in October 2013 and quickly established a reputation for his commitment to clients and the local community.

“Nat’s active involvement in the community includes his work with the Cancer Council Pro Bono Program, helping to assist several members of the community with financial guidance during a difficult time,”Mr Guggenheimer said.

Advisory Firm of the Year

Advisory Firm of the Year was awarded to Hillross Macarthur, recognising the ongoing delivery of high quality advice and leading client service.

Led by Principal Peter Nonnenmacher, the firm has contributed to the community in partnership with local charities, including the Mater Dei School for Special Needs Children.

“Hillross Macarthur has developed a series of initiatives that support members of the local community to improve their financial position.This engagement with the community and positive feedback from clients is testament to the quality service and professionalism of the team,”Mr Guggenheimer said.

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Michael Guggenheimer

Advisers from Sydney, Perth and Albury have scooped the pool in the annual 2013 Hillross Awards Program, taking out the Hillross Adviser of the Year, New Adviser of the Year and Hillross Advisory Firm of the Year categories at a ceremony in Melbourne last night.

The 2013 Hillross Awards Program is open to advisers and advisory firms across the Hillross network. Newly appointed Managing Director Hillross and AMP Financial Planning Michael Guggenheimer said the awards were an opportunity to acknowledge the high levels of professionalism, client service and the delivery of quality advice.

“Professionalism, ongoing quality financial advice and a strong focus on the client are the most important attributes for an adviser and these awards recognise some outstanding examples of this,” Mr Guggenheimer said.

Hillross Adviser of the Year

The 2013 Hillross Adviser of the Year has been awarded to Sydney adviser Ian Smith.

Mr Guggenheimer said: “The judging panel were very impressed with Ian’s professionalism, his clear client value proposition and his unwavering focus on delivering what his clients want. These traits have made Ian a very deserving winner.”

The Adviser of the Year recognises a CFP adviser who has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and excellence through client service, advice delivery and implementation.

Hillross New Adviser of the Year

Ryan Turner of RJJO Financial Services in Perth has taken out New Adviser of the Year, a relatively new category first awarded in 2012.

Mr Turner, a graduate of AMP’s Horizons Academy, established his practice in 2011 and has had ongoing success building a solid business and creating strong links with the community.

“Ryan’s very clear financial advice philosophy, which is that if you do the right thing by people and make a difference in their lives the financial side of things will take care of itself, was a winner for the judging panel.

“It’s remarkable that in less than three years of practice he has been able to build up a dedicated client base and he attributes this approach as one of the key reasons for his success,” Mr Guggenheimer said.

Hillross Advisory Firm of the Year

Hillross Albury has won Advisory Firm of the Year, for demonstrating the highest standards of professionalism, profitability and advice.

“In looking at the finalists for Advisory Firm of the Year, the judges found Hillross Albury is a practice of like-minded individuals bursting with a great energy and commitment to delivering the best client experience possible.

“Their involvement in the local community, deep commitment to the ongoing education and development of their staff and feedback from clients has shown what a great advice experience they deliver,” Mr Guggenheimer said.

Hillross Albury is led by Practice Principal Tony Smith and Director Wayne Moriarty.

The 2013 Hillross Awards Program was open to financial advisers with a Certified Financial Planner qualification and advisory firms across the Hillross network.

Clients are surveyed by an independent research specialist and client advocacy is an important part of the overall assessment for each of the awards.

The winners are determined by an expert panel of industry representatives, including Mark Rantall, Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and AMP’s Chief Customer Officer Paul Sainsbury.

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Hillross has enjoyed a solid year of growth.

Hillross Financial Services (Hillross) has capped off a remarkable year of growth adding seven practices who combined manage a total of over $1 billion in funds under advice (FUA), and seeing significant uptake in its Financial Freedom brand.

Hillross added Sydney based practice JA Hordern in June 2012, with a Melbourne based practice rounding out the additions in June 2013.

Over that time, Hillross also gained Prosperity Wealth Advisers, with offices in Newcastle, Sydney and Brisbane, WA firm Boutique Advisers, Ward Wealth Management in South Australia, Accent Financial Planning in Victoria and Primeplan Securities, who have offices in Victoria and Tasmania.

Hillross Acting Managing Director Chris Digby said the new practices were attracted to the Hillross value proposition and its strong client focus.

“Hillross is delighted to welcome these practices which caps off a great year of growth.  We’ve put a lot of work into making sure we have the right resources in place to support growth in our network,” said Mr Digby.

In addition to the new practices recruited, Hillross has also welcomed 11 new start-up firms, creating opportunities for advisers to commence their own financial advice businesses within the network.

“Our new practices all share a common purpose to deliver quality advice and help their clients pursue their idea of Financial Freedom,” said Mr Digby.

Mr Digby also said he was pleased with the popularity of the Hillross Financial Freedom concept since it was launched over a year ago.

“Since Hillross launched the Financial Freedom branding we’ve seen phenomenal uptake of the concept by our practices.  Feedback from advisers is that the Financial Freedom concept has appealed to clients, enabling financial advisers to show how the value of good advice can help achieve life goals, not just financial goals, and this has been supported by growth in practice revenue,” said Mr Digby.

Peter Nonnenmacher, Director of Hillross practice Macarthur Financial Planning said the Financial Freedom branding had really made a difference in their interactions with clients.

“From the moment they drive in to the carpark, which has a space reserved with their name on it, through to the reception area with images showing that Financial Freedom starts here, our clients are made to feel welcome.

“Many of our clients have been through a challenging few years, and this has really helped change the conversation, providing a more relaxed setting for our customers to really think about their future possibilities,” Mr Nonnenmacher said.

“It’s really about bringing the ‘why’ back into advice, showing clients the value it can bring to their lives rather than being just about pure wealth creation”, added Mr Digby.

At AMP’s half year results in August Hillross reported net cashflows of $536 million, an increase of $550 million on 1H 2012.

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