VBP supports business expansion with newly created roles

VBP has announced three newly created leadership roles to support the firm’s continued expansion in the financial advice industry.

The appointments follow VBP’s acquisition of specialist financial planning, consulting and coaching firm Elixir Consulting this week, with founder Sue Viskovic taking on the role of VBP general manager, consulting.

Amanda Yun has also been appointed chief growth officer and Shaun Nesbitt joins as chief information and digital officer.

Ms Yun joins the business after a three-year stint at Challenger as head of sales growth, retail distribution. Prior to this, she spent eight years at AMP, most recently as head of sales growth and development.

Meanwhile, Mr Nesbitt brings more than two decades of experience in information technology and enterprise architecture to the role, having most recently served as chief digital and information officer at Urban Utilities, a distributor-retailer authority in Queensland.

Before this, Mr Nesbitt was chief information technology officer at Health Support Queensland and served on the board of the Institute for Healthy Communities Australia for almost seven years.

VBP chief executive David Carney said that the appointments, complemented by the acquisition, will help take VBP’s evolution to the “next level”.

“We are significantly expanding our service offering to continue supporting our clients with their growth at a time of continuing change in the financial planning landscape,” Mr Carney said.

“VBP has a 10-year track record of providing this support and with the addition of Amanda and Shaun to the business, as well as the expertise of the Elixir team, we have significantly deepened the level of assistance we can provide.”

He added that the combined business of VBP and Elixir will position the business as the “go-to” growth partner for advice firms looking to innovate and scale.

“Harnessing the experience of Elixir and boosting it with the scale and expertise of VBP means we are better positioned to provide the specialist support and assistance that advice practices need.

“VBP now has the resources to deploy a bespoke team on a project basis to assist clients in executing the priority projects from their strategic planning, and to take full advantage of opportunities in the current environment.”

The firm has also announced that the combined business has been rebranded from Virtual Business Partners to Vital Business Partners, reflecting its role within advice.

Mr Carney clarified that while the business will still be widely known as VBP, the name change signified an important step in its growth.

“The new name is more reflective of our future direction and desire to be a vital partner in our clients’ future success. Dropping the word virtual allows us to move away from a traditional outsourcing business and recognises the human connections that are very much the core of each and every client relationship,” he said.

“We are in a period of significant change within the financial service industry, but I am excited to see the continuing maturing of this profession and the role that VBP can play.”