Veteran adviser Geoff Bawden steps back

Geoff Bawden has spent 40 years in the finance industry, 26 of them as a mortgage adviser.

He currently owns and runs two businesses, the mortgage practice Bawden Consulting, and the aggregator, Q Advisor Group.

Bawden says much of the day to day running of Bawden Consulting will be put in the hands of two colleagues, Tammy Hooper and Alison Mealing, and he will put some of his spare energy into mentoring new talent.

“I would like to spend a bit more time on what can be done to support new advisers entering the industry,” he said.

“Having spent over 40 years in finance, it would be great to be able to give a little back to the industry and share my experience with new-to-industry advisers who would like a helping hand."

Bawden will continue to own Q Advisor Group but operate it via a manager, so in that sense it will be business as usual.

Bawden says the last few months have taken a toll, with the loss of two important people in his family. He also faces further health challenges, which he declines to discuss, except in general terms.

“I think what has happened in the personal arena in the last six months in particular has re-emphasised for me the importance of family,” Bawden says.

“I want to find a better work life balance.”

So what is his view on the state of the mortgage business now?

“I think the industry today is far more complex than it has ever been before. It requires a much more professional approach from advisers and attention to a lot more detail.

“It is a harder industry to work in – and I don't think the banks make it easy for advisers – but I think it is still an industry with a huge amount of potential.

“It's not that long ago that mortgage advisers were being dismissed as just a channel (for money). But now people are increasingly looking at mortgage advisers for advice, and those professionals who do that well and manage their customer relationships well stand to be able to build a very good business for the future.”

Last year Bawden formed a relationship with The Adviser Platform to establish a new dealer group for mortgage advisers.

Bawden has been an influential player in the mortgage advice industry chairing the NZ Mortgage Brokers Association (NZMBA) and taking part in industry events such as TMM's Round Table discussions.

The NZMBA was subsumed into the Professional Advisers Association which was one of the groups which established Financial Advice NZ.