New BDM for Financial Advice NZ

She is Jen Latham of Auckland.

Latham replaced Brent Byrne, who went to work for AMP.

She formerly ran a business called Solutions Outsourced, which was a conduit between mortgage advisers and non-bank lenders.

She sold her stake in that company after her business partner was shoulder tapped for a better job.

Previously, Latham worked for six years as BDM for the finance company, Southern Cross Partners.

She said she was excited to get her new job and had a strong aim to raise awareness of Financial Advice New Zealand.

“But the biggest thing I want to achieve in this role is to look after the advisers,” she said.

“I want to be their go-to person, I want to be there for every query they may or may not have. I want to be their voice to the industry.”

Financial Advice NZ chief executive Katrina Shanks, said the focus of Latham's role would be working with financial advisers, being a voice for them within the organisation and trying to grow the size of the membership.

At present, Financial Advice NZ has around 1550 members, covering mainly the mortgage, insurance, financial planning and investment sectors.

Some advisers who are not members work for big firms which already provide the backup and support they need, making membership of Financial Advice New Zealand less pressing.

But Shanks said there was probably a pool of about 6000 advisers who could have an interest in a body like hers.

Latham's appointment has made her a part of a small workforce running Financial Advice NZ: six full-time equivalent positions.