The appointment comes as demand continues to grow for advice that brings together wealth management, tax, accounting and lending expertise through a single, coordinated client experience. As one of Australia’s leading integrated advice businesses, Focus Partners Australia is continuing to strengthen its leadership capability to meet this evolving need.

Lane will lead Focus Partners Australia | Wealth, FPA’s wealth advisory business, overseeing advisers, paraplanners, client service and operations teams, while helping drive the next phase of growth across the advice platform.

Kristen Bell, President at Focus Partners Australia’s said: “David’s appointment reflects our long-term commitment to investing in our wealth business and building greater capability to support clients’ evolving needs.”

“The advice landscape is changing rapidly. Clients increasingly want advisers who can help them navigate every aspect of their financial lives through connected, specialist advice rather than fragmented services,” Bell said.

“David brings the leadership, experience and deep understanding of advice businesses that will help us continue to strengthen our wealth offering, support our advisers and deliver the best outcomes for clients. His appointment is another important step as we continue building one of Australia’s leading integrated advice businesses bringing boutique individualised services to clients at scale.”

In his role, Lane will focus on expanding Focus Partners Australia’s wealth advisory capability by strengthening referral networks, enhancing adviser performance and supporting continued growth across the business. He will also play a key role working alongside Kris Bell to identify strategic opportunities and evolving the firm’s advice platform to meet changing client needs.

David Lane said: “I’m excited to be joining Focus Partners Australia at such a pivotal time for the industry. I look forward to partnering with FPA’s expanded capability in technology and operations to continue growing the business, enhancing the client experience and building on the strong foundations already in place to help more Australians achieve their financial goals.”

Lane joins Focus Partners Australia from Ord Minnett, where he was State Manager (Queensland) and Senior Private Wealth Adviser. He has also held senior leadership positions at Pitcher Partners and FirstUnity Wealth Management, bringing more than three decades of experience across wealth management, financial advice and business leadership.

He officially commenced his role at Focus Partners Australia on 6 July 2026.

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Kristen Bell

Focus Financial Partners, Inc., an interdependent partnership of wealth management, business management, and related financial services firms, has announced that Kristen Bell has been promoted to become President of Focus Partners Australia.

In her new role, Ms. Bell will be responsible for driving the convergence of Focus Partners Australia under a single, national brand. She will also oversee the Business Solutions divisions of Focus Partners Australia, including Focus Partners Australia Accounting, Focus Partners Australia Credit Advisory, and MEDIQ. Ms. Bell will also collaborate with leadership at Focus Partners Australia’s partner, Escala, on a variety of initiatives designed to leverage the scale of Focus in ways that stimulate growth and development for both businesses.

“Kris’ appointment is a reflection of her outstanding leadership within our organisation,” said Travis Danysh, Chief Strategy Officer at Focus Financial Partners. “She has a proven track record of delivering results and a deep commitment to our clients, team members, and business interests in Australia. I am looking forward to continuing working alongside her in the region in her expanded role.”

Ms. Bell has been with Focus since 2021. She initially served as the Head of Compliance and Regulatory Affairs for Connectus, which is now part of Focus Partners Australia, and was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Connectus in 2024. Prior to joining Focus, she held senior-level executive roles for AUSIEX and CommSec.

“I am excited about taking this expanded role within Focus Partners Australia and look forward to helping the business deliver exceptional outcomes for clients while fostering a collaborative culture across our organisation,” said Bell.

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