Aussie asset managers appoint CEOs
K2 Asset Management and East Coast Capital Management have each welcomed a female chief executive to lead the respective firms.
The former announced the internal appointment of Hollie Wight as its new CEO on 28 January 2025.
Wight first joined K2 in 2000 as the managing director and head of responsible entity (RE) and trustee services, which she has held for 25 years.
According to the Melbourne-based asset manager, she has been instrumental in the evolution of the business, particularly in 2020 when K2 sought to diversify revenue streams to drive a return to profitability.
“During this period the growth in the RE and trustee services pillar of the business proved to be critical in the consolidated K2 group’s revenue growth over this period, affirming the appropriateness of Wight for the role,” the firm stated.
K2 founder and executive chair Campbell Neal, managing director George Boubouras and the board will ensure a seamless transition as Wight steps into the CEO role, the firm added.
“The long-term profitability of K2, including the return of dividends to shareholders, is the primary focus for the board and the directors are confident of achieving this in the 2025 financial year. The business continues to build sustainable and diversified revenue lines across the three core pillars of our service offering.”
The asset manager’s three core pillars include RE and trustee services, funds management and advisory, and listed funds and exchange-traded funds.
On the same day, Sydney-based alternative fund manager East Coast Capital Management (ECCM) also confirmed the appointment of Simone Haslinger as its CEO.
Haslinger commenced on 24 January and is responsible for accelerating and leading the company’s growth in assets under management, with a focus on wholesale and institutional investor channels.
She brings more than two decades of investment banking experience to the executive role. Most recently, she spent over 14 years at JP Morgan as co-head of equity capital markets for Australia.
Prior to this, Haslinger worked in equity capital markets at Deutsche Bank for five years.
“We’re delighted to have Simone on board. As a seasoned banking executive, she will play a pivotal role in strengthening and expanding our leadership team, and driving future growth”, remarked Adam Havryliv, founder and chief investment officer at ECCM.
Commenting on her new position, Haslinger said: “It’s an exciting time to be joining ECCM. I am looking forward to driving the expansion of ECCM’s growth, building on the success of the ECCM Systematic Trend Fund to date.”
East Coast Capital Management was established in 2008, specialising in quantitative trading strategies for wholesale clients.
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Jasmine Siljic
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