Senior Executive Profiles
Investment Team
The key members of MFG’s investment team are:
Chris Mackay (Chief Investment Officer)
Chris is the Chairman of MFG’s Investment Committee. See Directors’ Profiles for more information.
Hamish Douglass (Portfolio Manager)
Hamish is a member of MFG’s Investment Committee. See Directors’ Profiles for more information.
Financial Services
Domenico Giuliano (Senior Research Analyst)
Dom has 7 years of investment market experience. Prior to joining MFG, Dom was an Executive Director with Morgan Stanley, where he led insurance sector coverage for the Asia-Pacific region. Dom was the lead analyst for the IPO of two of China’s largest insurers and had coverage and oversight responsibilities for insurers in Australia, New Zealand, China, Taiwan and South Korea. Prior to his role with Morgan Stanley, Dom was a consultant for 6 years with the leading actuarial consulting firm, Tillinghastˆ’Towers Perrin, working in their Melbourne, Milan and Sydney offices. His assignments at Tillinghast spanned mergers & acquisitions, economic valuations, liability valuations, market entry and product development. Dom holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University. Dom is also a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.
Vihari Ross (Research Analyst)
Vihari has 6 years of experience in the Australian equities market. Prior to joining MFG, Vihari was an equities analyst with the successful Australian equities fund manager, Ausbil Dexia Limited, covering the financial and consumer sectors. Vihari also had experience in the Strategy & Research team of Commonwealth Investment Management whilst at university. Vihari is an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries, holds a masters degree specialising in finance as well as a bachelor degree in actuarial studies and finance.
Consumer & Retail
Nikki Thomas (Senior Research Analyst)
Nikki has worked for most of the past 16 years in institutional stockbroking specialising in the research of consumer stocks. Her stockbroking career began as an equities analyst at BT Securities, followed by a long career as the Retail Analyst at Deutsche Bank where she was also heavily involved in the development of valuation tools for use across the research team. She established a reputation in her field of expertise and brings sound analytical skills and a rigorous understanding of valuation and stock-picking skills through an exceptional feel and understanding of market sentiment and financial flows, and how these factors create profit-making opportunities. She completed the Chartered Financial Analyst programme in 1997 and has been an active member of the CFA Society of Sydney ever since. Previous qualifications include Chartered Accountant and Bachelor of Commerce (Merit) (UNSW).
Dan Ellis (Research Analyst)
Dan has nine years of experience in corporate development and mergers and acquisitions having been employed, since 1999, in a variety of roles within the Wesfarmers Group. In 2001, Dan was seconded for one year to Wesfarmers’ partly owned private equity manager, Gresham Private Equity. In his time with Wesfarmers and Gresham, Dan has worked on a variety of transactions in the infrastructure, retail and financial services sectors. More recently, Dan has been involved in the private treaty acquisition of Lumley General Insurance, the $700 million public company takeover of OAMPS Limited and the acquisition of New Zealand’s second largest insurance broker, Crombie Lockwood. Prior to being employed with Wesfarmers, Dan worked as a civil engineer (infrastructure planning) with the Water Corporation of WA. Dan has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Engineering with First class Honours, from the University of Western Australia. In 2001, Dan completed a Graduate Diploma in Finance and Investment and the Foundation Course in Venture Capital.
Chris Wheldon (Analyst)
Chris has six years of investment experience. Prior to joining Magellan Financial Group Chris gained three years of analytical and modelling experience whilst working with the private investment company Farallon Capital in Brisbane. Chris then spent two years assisting in the management of his family’s private investment portfolio, which encompassed asset allocation, security selection and transactional duties. Chris graduated in 2005 from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Business dual degree.
Infrastructure
Gerald Stack
Gerald has more than 13 years experience in financial services. Until recently, Gerald was a Director of Capital Partners where he was Head of Securities Research and a member of the Management Investment Committees. Capital Partners had approximately $1.2 billion in funds under management, almost all of which were under global discretionary infrastructure mandates. Gerald has extensive experience in infrastructure investment management on a global basis, including investment in listed and unlisted assets incorporating debt, equity and hybrids. Gerald is a chartered accountant with a Bachelor of Economics and an MBA, both from Sydney University.
Dennis Eagar
Dennis also joined MFG from Capital Partners, where he was Head of Infrastructure. On joining Capital Partners in 2003, Dennis led the team of infrastructure analysts covering Australian and selected international infrastructure stocks. Prior to Capital Partners, Dennis was with Macquarie Bank where his responsibilities included investor relations and external affairs for Macquarie Infrastructure Group (MIG) and three other listed entities (MAP, MCG and Horizon Energy). Dennis was also a board member on unlisted entities involved in the development and operation of the Eastern Distributor, M5 and M4 toll roads in Sydney. Previously, Dennis was employed as Group Development Manager for Australia’s largest construction company Leighton Holdings Limited.
Dennis’ qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Statistics) from Macquarie University, a Diploma in Project Management from New England University and Graduate Diplomas in Applied Finance and Financial Planning from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Kris Webster
Kris joined Magellan Financial Group from Capital Partners, where he spent 5 years as a Senior Investment Analyst. During his time at Capital Partners, he focused on the transport and infrastructure sectors, responsible for researching ports, toll roads and railroads. Prior to this, Kris spent four years as an academic at the University of New South Wales’ School of Banking and Finance. Kris has a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons 1) from the University of New South Wales.
Distribution
Frank Casarotti (Head of Distribution)
Frank has some 29 years relevant financial services experience having joined the Australian Eagle Insurance Group in 1979. Prior to joining MFG, Frank held a senior distribution management role with Colonial First State (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Commonwealth Bank), one of Australia’s largest and most successful investment and platform administration companies. He joined Colonial First State (then known as First State Fund Managers) as its Queensland State Manager in 1992 and relocated to Sydney to take up the role of Head of Adviser Distribution in 2001. During his 14 years with the Colonial Group, Frank was a significant contributor to a strategy which resulted in growth in funds under management from $800 million to over $100 billion in 2007. His role at Colonial extended from the promotion of Colonial’s asset management business capability to its entry into the Masterfund market, with the extremely successful launch of FirstChoice in 2002.
Frank is a passionate believer in quality financial planning advice and is a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) and is a regular speaker at industry and dealer group conferences within Australia and overseas.
Matthew Webb (Head of Institutional and Consultant Relationships)
Matthew has over ten years financial services experience. Prior to joining Magellan, Matthew was with Colonial First State for over eight years in a variety of distribution roles, working across three states as a Business Development Manager, as Manager of Research Relationships, and, most recently, as Head of Investment Sales. Matthew has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Western Australia and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australia (finSIA). Matthew is currently a Level 3 candidate in the CFA Programme.
Matthew is a Fellow of finSIA and is also a member of the Financial Planning Assocation (FPA). He also lectures for Kaplan Professional on The Investment Management Process and the Managed Investments Industry.
Allan Evans (Key Account Manager)
Allan has twenty years of financial services industry experience spanning roles in operations, administration, project management, technical services and distribution. For the past nine years Allan has worked in business development in the funds management industry including seven years at HSBC Asset Management where he was the Victorian State Manager.
Allan is based in our Melbourne office. He has a Bachelor of Business in Accounting.
Emma Heffernan (Key Account Manager)
Emma has worked in the financial services industry for 7 years. Prior to joining MFG , Emma was a Business Development Manager for Colonial First State in NSW. She also has experience in investments research and held distribution roles in Western Australia.
Emma has a double degree in Economics and Languages from the University of Western Australia and is currently studying towards her Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association (FPA).
Damian Craven (Key Account Manager)
Damian has 15 years experience in the Financial Services industry in a number of key roles. Prior to joining Magellan he had a 10 year stint at Macquarie Bank distributing their Cash and Administration solutions to Financial Advisers and Accountants across the southern states. Damian made a significant contribution to the growth of Macquarie Cash Management Trust and Macquarie Wrap platforms with his passion and enthusiasm for quality adviser relationships. Damian is based in our Melbourne office and has responsibility for South Australia.
Management Team
The key members of MFG’s management team are:
Nerida Campbell (Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer)
Nerida has over 20 years experience in the investment banking and finance industry, previously holding various finance and management roles including that of Chief Financial Officer for UBS AG, Australia and New Zealand. Nerida is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Leo Quintana (Legal Counsel and Company Secretary)
Leo has 8 years experience as a corporate lawyer. He is the Legal Counsel and Company Secretary of Magellan Financial Group Limited, Magellan Asset Management Limited and Magellan Flagship Fund Limited. Leo is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Business. He was previously an Associate – commercial and corporate group, of Harris Friedman Hyde Page Lawyers. Leo is a member of the Law Society of New South Wales and a member of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association.