Opes Prime appoints new legal head

Brokerage firm Opes Prime has moved to strengthen its corporate governance and compliance obligations by appointing Jennifer Kane as its new head of corporate and legal affairs.

Opes Prime director and co-founder Julian Smith said Kane’s appointment as head of the newly formed department was in preparation for a new phase of growth.

“In recent years, Opes Prime has been putting foundations in place for rapid but sustainable growth, and this is a key part of that process,” she said.

“As we continue to broaden our service and product range and expand into international markets, good corporate governance becomes increasingly important.”

According to Smith, other foundations for Ope Prime’s growth include the launch of a proprietary IT system developed in conjunction with Oracle in 2007, which ensures that collateral is properly and prudently managed.

“Prime brokerage is a growth area in Australian finance and we realise that there is scope for our book to expand significantly. We can confidently say that we have our house in order for this next phase.”

Prior to this role Kane was head of compliance for Morgan Stanley, and has also held senior compliance roles at Goldman Sachs JBWere, Deutsche Bank and JP Morgan. Her new role includes overseeing Opes Prime’s ongoing legal and regulatory obligations, including meeting ASX and Australian Securities and Investments Commission reporting and monitoring requirements.