T. Rowe Price adds financial advice relationship manager

T. Rowe Price has appointed Camilla Banasiak as its new relationship manager to help lead the firm’s efforts to service and grow its financial advice client base in parts of Sydney and across NSW.

Working under the head of intermediaries for Australia and New Zealand, Jonathon Ross, Banasiak will be joining the firm’s Australia intermediary team identifying suitable investment solutions for its financial advisers.

Prior to joining T. Rowe Price, Banasiak held several positions at Netwealth, including training and relationship manager and most recently, business development manager. Prior to this, she held a number of positions at BT Financial Group.

Ross said Banasiak’s extensive experience in the Australian retail investment market will make her a valuable addition to the firm and further its efforts within the firm’s financial adviser community.

“Providing comprehensive training on diverse investment strategies is a key pillar in how we support our financial adviser partners and investors,” Ross said.

“With Camilla’s extensive experience in training and client engagement, we are confident she will contribute significantly to the firm’s ongoing growth by developing a strong partnership with the financial adviser community.”

Ross said the appointment comes as the firm continues to see growth in recent years and increased demand from clients for expanding their offerings.

“T. Rowe Price has experienced steady growth in Australia and New Zealand in recent years, driven by increasing client demand for our expanded capabilities across global equities and fixed income,” he said.

In April, T. Rowe Price announced the launch of the Global Government Bond High Quality Fund for wholesale and institutional investors, expanding its investment offerings. The bond is designed to achieve capital appreciation and interest income by investing primarily in bonds issued by high-quality governments, government-related entities and government agencies located around the world and in global currencies.

Speaking at the time of the announcement, Darren Hall, T. Rowe Price’s head of distribution and country head for Australia and New Zealand, said the fund demonstrates how the firm is seeking to offer products for a new market environment.

“Over many years, much of the return from bond markets has been made by steadily falling yields and tightening credit spreads. However, this benign investment environment was upended in 2022 as the US Fed, Reserve Bank of Australia, and other central banks around the world embarked on a rapid rate hiking cycle to curb high inflation,” Hall said.

“This new market environment of structurally higher bond yields, higher volatility and greater dispersion between countries creates new opportunities for asset owners to think about their global fixed income program.”