Lonsec to help advisers with new business division

Lonsec's Lukasz de Pourbaix has been appointed chief investment officer of the new business division and will work closely with the firm's investment consulting team to deliver practical investment solutions for advisers.

Mr de Pourbaix said the post-FOFA environment has seen the regulatory and administrative burden on financial advisers increase significantly.

At the same time, the market has witnessed an "explosion in listed products" such as ETFs, SMAs and LICs, driven by an increased desire among investors to hold their investments directly, he said.

"Investment Solutions aims to address these dual challenges by bringing together Lonsec's established broad listed and unlisted investment research as well as our proven portfolio construction capabilities," Mr de Pourbaix said.

"Importantly, Lonsec is not issuing financial products, we are enabling our portfolio capabilities to be accessed in a more efficient manner."

Along with Mr de Pourbaix's appointment as CIO, Veronica Klaus has been promoted to general manager of investment consulting.

To further support the new business division, Lonsec added that it has strengthened its internal investment committees with the appointment of former Advance Asset Management head of investment strategy and research Felix Stephen.

"We are pleased to have someone of the experience and calibre of Mr Stephen join our investment committees as an independent member. He will contribute broader macro-economic insights and further strengthen our committee process," Mr de Pourbaix said.