Countplus has announced the appointment of Pierre Kraft as CEO of its newly established business – Advice389.
The new business, set to officially launch in mid-May, will look to partner with quality financial planning firms through a shared equity model. In his role as CEO, Mr Kraft will be responsible for driving the business’ strategic direction and delivering on growth targets, while providing leadership support to Advice389’s partner principals.
Currently Mr Kraft is Director and Executive Chairman of TFS Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Countplus, a role he will maintain. Prior to joining TFS and Countplus, he was Managing Director and Partner at Aon Hewitt Wealth Management, which he built into a fully integrated Wealth Management business across Australia. During his time at Aon, he also launched Wealth Management in Asia, as chair of the Asian Wealth Management Project. During his career, he also had various roles at MLC, including leading one of its largest projects – AdviserCentral.
Phil Aris, CEO of Countplus, commented on the appointment: “We’re proud to be launching Advice389, and we’re looking forward to helping the right financial planning firms grow and succeed. Pierre has a deep understanding of the financial advice industry and comprehensive experience in managing and growing businesses in this sector. His expertise rounds out our fantastic leadership team and offers our partner firms access to deep capability that will ensure growth and success for their businesses.”
Mr Kraft, added: “I’m excited about taking up my new role. We’ve been busy developing and setting the strategy for Advice389 and we’re keen to take it to market. We look forward to letting the market know more about Advice389 in the coming months.”
In addition to his professional experience, Mr Kraft has been Co-Chair of the FoFA committee for the AFA, as well as Membership and Marketing Chair for the FPA. He has a Master’s in Business (advanced), is a Fellow CPA, Certified Financial Planner, Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, has a Bachelor of Business, Certificate IV in Financial Services (Finance/Mortgage Broking) and has attained the Diploma in Financial Planning.
Mr Kraft commenced his role in February, and reports directly to Phil Aris.
