Himbury to assist in Pivotal restructure
FormerWestpachead of financial planning and advice Brett Himbury has struck a short-term deal withTower Australiato provide advice on the restructure of its dealer group — Pivotal.
Himbury, who left Westpac in April due to restructuring within the group, will now advise Tower on the restructure of Pivotal.
The changes at Pivotal will include the appointment of a new head, as well as the departure of executive general manager Duncan Stewart.
Tower head of sales Steve Robertson says Himbury will only be working with the group for a brief period while the group undergoes a transformation.
“The res+tructure is really a review and renewal of Pivotal,” he says.
Robertson adds the assignment that both he and Himbury are working on focuses on the strategic direction of the dealer group. It is part of Robertson’s brief to examine the whole Tower distribution strategy.
“We are both putting in significant effort in restructuring the business and relaunching it,” Robertson says.
But, there is no formal date for a relaunch as such, with Robertson saying that the current work on the dealer group is “just part of invigorating the business, as most businesses do at some stage”.
Himbury left Westpac in early April amid news that a new wealth management distribution role would be created within theBT Financial Group.
While Himbury was asked to consider a different role within the group he turned it down, saying he would like to work in a position combining advice and product manufacturing.
“Brett is a long-term friend and associate, and when I heard he had left Westpac, I asked him to come and give me some advice in running our dealer group,” Robertson says.
It is not yet confirmed what Himbury’s post-Tower plans are.
Recommended for you
Sequoia Financial Group has announced it is selling off its Informed Investor subsidiary which it acquired in April 2022.
Wealth Data has examined which advice business model has seen the most growth since the start of the year including those that offer holistic advice.
Research conducted by Elixir Consulting and Lonsec has quantified the efficiency gains of using managed accounts in financial advice practices in hours per week saved.
With only one-quarter of advice practices actively seeking feedback from clients, the Financial Advice Association Australia has emphasised why this is a critical tool for client retention.