Insight expands service offerings



Insight Investment Consultants has announced plans to expand its service offering, appointing a new head of research and a senior investment consultant as it seeks to become a full-service research house.
It will launch a fund research ratings business to be led by Tim Murphy as director and head of research from 1 September.
Murphy was previously with Morningstar, where he was the director of manager research, APAC, for almost seven years and had been with the firm for more than 17 years.
During his time at Morningstar, Murphy led research teams in multiple jurisdictions, overseeing ratings on managed funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs) and listed investment companies (LIC).
“The growth in managed accounts and resulting concentration of funds flows means there’s never been a greater need for quality over quantity of research,” said Chris Lioutas, Insight’s founder.
“The strong growth of Insight’s business has created the perfect opportunity to target this gap in the research market and expand our service offering to our existing clients while creating capacity for additional clients and further growth.
“I’m excited to have Tim Murphy joining to lead our new research ratings business as he’s been one of the leading researchers in Australia for some time, so we’re thrilled to have someone of his skills and experience joining us.”
Commenting on the appointment, Murphy said: “Chris and I have known each other for many years and have often discussed how fund research can be improved, so now we have the chance to act on that belief and put it into practice for both our existing and prospective clients.
“The way advisers use fund research has evolved over the years, and we think there’s an opportunity for a more contemporary approach to research that puts local clients at the forefront of our thinking and enables better adviser decision making for their clients’ portfolios.”
The fund research ratings business is seen as a natural complement to Insight’s growing consulting service, which currently provides consulting services to 15 licensees representing approximately 380 advisers with over $21 billion in funds under advice.
The new research ratings will be owned and managed by local staff and its reports will focus on key decision-making points for advisers, enabling more effective portfolio outcomes for clients.
Insight has also announced the appointment of Leo Mauceri as a senior investment consultant in the continued growth of its consulting business. Previously, Mauceri led product strategy at MLC Asset Management for almost two years.
His resume also includes senior roles at NAB Wealth, ANZ Wealth, and BT Financial Group.
In the new role, he joins existing investment research manager Theodore Hatsis and investment analyst Jayden Ribarovski.
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