Stewart Bell is a Business Coach, Author, and Founder of Audere Coaching & Consulting.

In over 15 years working on the business of advice, he's coached well over 400 professional services firms large and small to improve business performance and find opportunities to innovate.

His clients include financial advisers, accountants, and mortgage brokers, in addition to the institutions that work with them, across a wide range of business models, successful and otherwise.

Stewart also has a specialist interest in the tech world and the methods used to launch Silicon Valley startups. This passion lead him to found Audere, and create the Leveraged Advice Firm program; a business improvement program & community designed to introduce proven methods to achieve more with less models that foster growth without constraint, and ways to make your business stand-out and innovate.

He's also the author of two books Finnovation: The Complete Advisers Guide to Innovating Your Advice Model and 100 Ways To Run Your Business Better

Over the past 25 years, Graham has held senior leadership roles across the financial services industry, developing a wealth of knowledge and experience of how successful advice
businesses grow and prosper.

Graham is now an expert business strategist with Elixir Consulting, having honed his skills over time as he has built and worked with a wide range of advice businesses to help them
implement new strategies for growth.

Above all, Graham enjoys coaching advisers who are looking to turn today’s business challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities by adapting their businesses to suit their client’s needs while achieving their personal and business vision.

Greg is a key member of HUB24’s Strategic Development team and is focused on creating and enhancing technology solutions to help advisers provide high quality advice to clients and run efficient and profitable businesses.

Greg has spent more than 25 years in the Australian financial services industry, most recently partnering with Paul Rogan (HUB24 non-exec director) to start up Retirement Essentials. Prior to that he had roles in Strategy for Advice and Distribution businesses across Challenger, ANZ, CFS and MLC.

When not at work Greg can be found spending time with his wife and 3 kids, or playing tennis and surfing on the northern beaches.

Phil Pilgrim is the General Manager of Partnerships and Distribution at Implemented Portfolios and is responsible for leading the Sales and Distribution team of the company. Phil’s career in financial services spans 24 years, having held various leadership & distribution roles across several renowned financial services institutions including BT, AMP and CoFunds.

I am the company founder and director of Forte Asset Solutions Pty Ltd (Forte). Forte’s core activity is selling financial services businesses.

I have enjoyed a successful 30 plus year career in financial services. I began my career in New Zealand, then England working first in banking and then in stock broking. In 1987, I became Australia’s youngest certified investment planner (ACIP). My roles included client advice and subsequently senior management.

I established the dealer group National Mutual Financial Planning in Victoria in 1991.

I joined First State Funds Management in 1993 and presided over Victoria’s growth from $40 million pa inward flow of funds to more than $1 billion pa in 1999.

I then accepted a global partnership in Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, where I held the position Partner, Director and CEO of Deloitte Financial Services (DFS), a national High Net Worth dealer group. After re-engineering the business, I completed the successful sale of DFS in 2001.

After a 12- month sabbatical I came back to the industry and created Australia’s first specialist financial services M & A group Kenyon Prendeville. I co-founded Kenyon Prendeville in 2003. Kenyon Prendeville was the first M&A business specialising in financial services and it went on to be the predominant broker until 2011. I split the partnership in May 2011 to create Forte Asset Solutions Pty Ltd.

Over the last 19 years’ experience, to the best of my knowledge, I have facilitated more than 150 Financial Planning business sales in Australia.

Forte has a database of 6,300 contacts of buyers/seller and Centre’s Of Influence. On a mass mail- out the amount of emails opened ranges from 800-1500, and the number of actions taken from the mailout is approximately 30%.

Forte has 6,000 plus subscribers to our Market Commentary.

I have 2,450 plus Linkedin contacts. The last posted video market update achieved 3,700 views.

Forte website attracts on average 1,800 views per month all primarily seeking businesses for sale.

I am an active media commentator and public speaker on all issues affecting financial services businesses, especially financial planning businesses and Dealer groups.

I have been published in the industry’s leading publications IFA approx. Australian Financial Review, Professional Planner and Money Management.

In the last few years I have been a speaker at the following conferences – AIOFP international conference in Shanghai 2015, AIOFP 2017 Tokyo, AIOFP 2018, New York and Washington and speaker at the AIOFP National Conferences since 2004 (speaker at the national conference for the last 18 years), Independent Financial Advisers Strategy Day 2014/15/17/19/20, AMP Distribution team 2019, IFA Masterfund Conference 2015/2016/2017, Boutique Association Conference 2105/2016/2018, FPA National Congress 2016/2018, AFA National Conference 2017 and many others.

In 2019 I did a white paper commissioned and distributed by HUB24 entitled “Redesigning a practice, a case study “on the ways a MDA can improve business efficiency and profitability. I also participated in a Webinar for TAL August 2019.

I believe I spoke in front of approximately 2,500 advisers in 2019 and similar or greater numbers in 2020 and 2021.

For 2020 I presented at the IFA Strategy day (700 to 800 advisers in total in Brisbane, Sydney, Melb, Perth). Also Futuro national conference before COVID 19 travel limitations.

In May 2020 released a paper titled “Valuations in the middle of a Pandemic” which was sent to our 6,000 subscribers and has received 3,700 Linkedin views and was referenced in IFA daily.

Digitally in 2020 I did as Forte Market Commentary “Valuations in the middle of a Pandemic”
the AIOFP annual conference, Netwealth webinar, My Prosperity webinar, Hub 24 webinar, Shartru Adviser Update and IFA Client Experience Workshop.

In April 2021 I was the opening speaker at the AIOFP Tasmanian national conference and also their December Hunter Valley conference.

In 2021 I conducted webinars for AMP Authorised Representatives Association ‘How to select the best Dealer group for your practice’. I conducted a webinar with Praemium entitled “ Navigating your way to a strong business valuation”.
Market overview for Challenger Executive Management team. Spoke at the Hub24 and Myprosperity adviser function and was keynote speaker for the Profession of Independent Financial Advisers Symposium on “M&A trends and selling for top dollar”.

I have been a judge for the IFA Excellence Awards every year since 2014 to present in multiple categories –

1.       Risk Adviser of the Year
2.       Best New Licensee
3.       Boutique Group of the Year
4.       Dealer Group of the Year

5. Rookie of the Year
6. Boutique of the Year

I have also been a judge for the 2015 to 2022 Australian Accounting Awards in the categories of-
Firm less than $1bn of the Year
Boutique Firm less than $10M of the Year
Diversified Firm of the Year
Partner less than $1bn of the Year
2020 Categories are-
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Year
Corporate Accountant of the Year
Partner of the Year (Boutique Firm of the Year)
Rising Star of the Year
 
In 2021 and 2022 I was also the judge for Women in Finance in the following categories –
Chief Executive Officer of the year.
Innovator of the year.
Small business adviser of the year.

I am a member of the International Association of Consultants, Valuators and Analysts.

I am recognized by the Financial Services Industry as an expert. I have run, managed, and sold national dealer groups, financial planning and multi-disciplined businesses in Australia and thus my work is not just theoretical but overlaid with actual business sales or valuations that I have personally facilitated.

Future of Work expert, Kim Seeling Smith helps organizations build and retain a future fit workforce to reach their commercial goals, create thriving cultures, and overcome challenges and seize opportunities presented by the post-pandemic world. She engages audiences as a master storyteller, passionate educator and trend translator.

Antony is CEO of Blu Horseshoe. In this role he is responsible for leading the business and its people across all strategic and operational aspects. Prior to joining, Antony worked for the Sydney Stock Exchange where he held positions including Listings Director and Director of Market Supervision and Listings Compliance. Prior to this, Antony supported companies at Computershare, after previous roles in Barclays Private Bank (London) and HSBC Bank (Global Projects team).
Antony actively supports community organisations, and is currently on the Executive Committee of both Sydney Corporate Cup (since 2009) and Hills Adventist College H&S (Treasurer in 2021 & President in 2022). Antony is also Vice President & board member of the UCT Trust Australia, leading Australian support initiatives for The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance.

Maja's career in journalism spans well over a decade across finance, business and politics. Now an experienced editor and reporter across all elements of the financial services sector, prior to joining Momentum Media, Maja reported for several established news outlets in Southeast Europe, scrutinising key processes in post-conflict societies.

Mark is the State Manager for NSW/ACT at Charter Hall which currently has around $10 billion of funds under management in the IFA channel. In his role, Mark works closely with wholesale advisers and self-licensed advice firms to help create better outcomes for clients’ portfolios. His role and passion allows him to is to deliver perspectives and solutions in the areas of alternative investments, wholesale opportunities, managed accounts, as well as bringing insights on M&A and organic growth.
Mark’s background ranges from product management / manufacturing for investments and structured products, to key accounts on platforms, and even establishing micro finance for remote communities in Peru. Prior to joining Charter Hall, Mark worked with a number of leading financial services brands including Macquarie, BT and Perpetual.