2016 - Industry Moves Highlights
The year 2016 will certainly go down in history as a year of political and social change. However, the impact that those changes have had on the Australian Finance Industry is not yet clear. The good news is that during 2016 Industry Moves reported on 1,229 moves and 746 of those were appointments, many of which were for newly-created roles.
We also conducted Q&As with industry legends such as Fiona Trafford-Walker, Richard Brandweiner and Sam Hallab and spoke with people who aren't in the industry, but are making a very big impact on the financial services offered to Australian citizens, such as Dr Bronwyn King of Tobacco Free Portfolios, Amanda Young of First Nations Foundation and Michael Combs of CareSeekers.
It has been a pleasure to shine a light on some of the industry's 'Unsung Heroes' from Frontier , Cbus , IOOF , AUI, Christian Super, and Parametric . We loved getting to know them, sharing colleagues' testimonials and finding out more about what these heroes bring to their teams.
In our first issue back on January 19, we will be providing a more detailed analysis of the data we have collected throughout the year, but for now, we have collated a list of some of the biggest moves from 2016 and shared pearls of wisdom from some of our favourite Q&As.
The Industry Moves team wishes all our readers a very safe and happy holiday season.
The biggest moves by month of 2016
January - Telstra Super CIO moves back to QIC in new role
February - New CEO for VFMC
March - ANZ names new Australia Wealth chief
April - Lazard CEO steps down
May - Telstra Super names new Chief Investment Officer
June - BTFG confirms CIO resignation
July - Long-serving CIO to leave Equip
August - First State Super CIO to step down
September - Willis Towers Watson head departs for new role
October - BT Investment Management names new CEO
November - ASFA appoints new CEO
December - Kinetic Super announces new CEO
You can search for a complete list of any appointments and/or departures in a given month using the dropdown boxes on the Moves page.
For example, select December 2016 and Appointments only to see the list of 21 appointments reported so far this month. Click here to view!
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The Industry's 2016 pearls of wisdom
Fiona Trafford-Walker - Director of Consulting, Frontier Advisors
"I think it's a lot about being true to yourself and what you believe. I've never really had to change the way I am - actually, I do change a few things when I go home to Queensland - I find myself calling people "mate" a bit and also with a strange urge to put "but" at the end of a sentence. Otherwise I have always been clear about what I believe in and I've always tried to be direct and transparent." Read full Q&A here
"I have a poster on my cubicle wall that quotes Mark Twain: "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day." This appeals to me (not the eating frogs bit) in that I believe in tackling the tough things or the tasks that I'd rather not have to do or prefer to put off, head-on first thing when you're fresh." Read full Q&A here
"In recent years, the best advice given to me was that we should all feel comfortable to bring our whole selves to work. This means recognising that all the elements that make us whole, our interests, hobbies, families and relationships are important. Permitting ourselves to acknowledge this, alleviates the pressure to leave some of our personality behind when we start our day jobs." Read full Q&A here
Tom Garcia - CEO, AIST
"Trust in your people and do not micro-manage. Set them free, but make sure they know you have their back." Read full Q&A here
Craig Evans - Co-Portfolio Manager - Global Natural Resources, Tribeca 
"Never be afraid to hire or work with people who may be smarter than you in specialised areas. Be focussed on surrounding yourself with best in breed and building a strong culture with these people ...i.e. don't fight to be the smartest person in every room, it's impossible to grow yourself or be successful without being open to the fact that you can leverage other peoples specialisations." Read full Q&A here
Mark Sowerby - Former MD, BlueSky 
"Never ask anyone to do something you haven't done yourself at some point in your history. Get your hands dirty." Read full Q&A here
"When I was younger I approached everything I did at high speed, until a very wise boss of mine reminded me that life is a marathon not a sprint, and that winners focus on pacing themselves and putting one foot ahead of another and moving forward every day. I often remind myself of this on the many days that things don't go to plan, saying to myself "are we still moving forward, yes, then that is ok." Read full Q&A here
"Always take time to view the world through the lens of others. The many vantage points will broaden your horizons, offer greater clarity and make for more rewarding relationships." Read full Q&A here
