NZX names new head of funds management business

Monday, May 18th 2015, 9:56AM

It has appointed Aaron Jenkins to head up the funds management business, which includes SuperLife and Smartshares businesses.

Jenkins has held the Head of Markets role since joining NZX in January 2014. His appointment to the Head of Funds Management role follows a comprehensive executive search process that considered a range of external and internal candidates.

Before joining NZX, Jenkins was General Manager Trading Among Farmers at Fonterra, and prior to this held senior roles with E*Trade, one of Australia’s largest non-banking financial services businesses, firstly as CIO then as Head of Wholesale Broking. Since joining NZX, he has driven the design and regulatory approval of the NXT market, as well as the introduction of equity derivatives and options, butter futures, and the launch of five new Smartshares Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).

NZX CEO Tim Bennett commented: “Aaron’s diverse background across financial services and technology makes him the ideal candidate for this role. In addition, his existing knowledge of the NZX and SuperLife businesses means he will be able to make a quick start in the role.”

“Aaron’s immediate focus will be on supporting the continued growth of SuperLife’s KiwiSaver and employer superannuation activities, together with SuperLife founders Michael Chamberlain and Owen Nash, as well as creating a comprehensive set of Smartshares ETFs and driving the uptake of these products.”

NZX has also appointed Mark Peterson to the Head of Markets role vacated by Jenkins. He will lead NZX’s markets team, which is responsible for the debt and equity capital markets. Mark will also have responsibility for NZX’s relationships with issuers and market participants.

Peterson has around 25 years’ experience in financial services covering the exchange traded capital markets, private wealth, institutional and retail banking and insurance. Most recently, he was the managing Principal of ANZ Securities, and has previously held roles with First NZ Capital and National Bank of NZ.

Tags: NZX Smartshares