ClearView picks up Centric risk practice

ClearView Wealth managing director Simon Swanson has confirmed to ifa that Roy Agranat and Jon Pillemer – former joint heads of Centric Wealth’s risk and corporate benefits insurance division – have moved across to ClearView’s dealer group in recent weeks.

Mr Pillemer and Mr Agranat have joined as a corporate authorised representative of ClearView Financial Advice, under the name of Fairbridge Financial Services, as well as being authorised as individual reps.

The pair have combined work experience of 45 years, specialising primarily in risk advice, with Mr Agranat having achieved “a varied and significant corporate and individual client portfolio”, according to a post on the Centric website.

They reportedly sought out ClearView, with Mr Swanson attributing the dealer group’s appeal to its “commitment to independent financial advice”.

“ClearView has every life insurance provider on its APL, we ask no one for rebates, shelf-space fees or sponsorships, which would make us very different to many independent groups as well as larger groups,” he said.

Mr Swanson also revealed the group has seen an “uptick” in interest from disgruntled advisers currently licensed by competitors in the past few months.

The departure of the Fairbridge practice follows the $130 million acquisition of Centric by Findex, which describes itself as “Australia’s largest non-aligned and privately-owned financial advisory company”.

ifa sister title InvestorDaily reported in March that Findex had initiated a restructure of Centric resulting in 45 staff members leaving the business, followed by the subsequent departure of former CEO Phil Kearns in May.

Mr Agranat and Mr Pillemer have been part of the Centric Wealth stable since its inception, following the merger of Centrestone and the Berkley Group in 2005.