We invest in the
best people.
Our success delivering leading investment returns and
award winning relationships is thanks to our world-class team.
Hand-picked for their talent, experience and track records.
Take a moment to meet the Australia based members of our team.
Client Management Team
Kristine Brooks
Head of Australian Business
Kristine is the Head of Australian Business at Milford. It is her responsibility to develop and drive the strategy to grow Milford’s Australian business, she will lead the development of Milford’s profile and credibility in the Australian market place.
Kristine has over 25 years experience in the Australian Financial Services Industry, working in Stockbroking, Financial Advice, Life Insurance and Funds Management, with extensive experience in Strategic Business Growth including M&A, Business Development, Brand and Marketing.
Prior to joining Milford, Kristine was the Chief Distribution Officer for Zurich Financial Services Australia and was at Zurich for 16 years. Previously, Kristine held Business Development roles with Challenger Financial Services and Deutsche Financial Planning.
Kristine holds a Diploma in Financial Services from the Securities Institute of Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0401 105 632
Regan van Berlo
Head of Distribution
Regan is responsible for leading our engagement with research teams, asset consultants, platform providers and financial advisers to ensure Milford is a fund manager of choice.
Joining Milford in 2018, Regan brings over a decade of experience in the Australian finance industry with extensive exposure to the funds management, investment research, data, software and advice segments.
Prior to joining Milford, Regan spent six years with Morningstar Australia. In his previous role as Head of Adviser Distribution, Investment Management, Regan was responsible for servicing a national footprint of financial advisers, dealer groups, research teams and platforms in addition to leading a team of business development professionals.
Regan holds a Masters in Applied Finance in Wealth Management and Corporate Finance and a Bachelor of Commerce and Arts from the University of Auckland.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +61 432 348 088
Katharine Jackson
Senior Business Development Manager - NSW, ACT, WA
Katharine joined Milford in February 2020 and is responsible for growing relationships with financial advisers, wealth management firms, and investment consultants.
Prior to joining Milford, Katharine spent over four years at Macquarie Investment Management where she was the Senior Business Development Manager for New South Wales. She has over ten years of financial services experience with specialist knowledge in distributing fixed income, equity, and absolute return funds.
Katharine holds a Bachelor of Commerce, a Bachelor of Communications, and a Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning.
Phone: 0430 392 779
Email: [email protected]
Regions: NSW ACT WA
Rachael Satchell
Business Development Manager - QLD NT
Rachael has worked within the financial services industry for over 15 years, having started as a para-planner and later a financial planner she understands the value of comprehensive advice and the positive impact this has on client outcomes.
Over the last 8 years, Rachael has held a number of distribution roles in both insurance with Asteron Life and platform with Praemium; this has enabled her to build strong practice and licensee relationships throughout QLD.
Rachael has completed a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning and has recently commenced a Masters in Applied Finance.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0402 558 735
Regions: QLD, NT
Hayley Cochrane
Business Development Manager - VIC, TAS, SA
Hayley is responsible for growing relationships with financial advisers, wealth management firms and investment consultants in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. She has worked in the financial services industry for over 10 years, holding various roles including financial advice, compliance and operations in Canada and New Zealand and more recently in funds management in Australia.
Prior to joining Milford in July 2021, Hayley spent six years at Bennelong Funds Management. She has specialist knowledge in distributing Australian equities, Global Listed Infrastructure, Global Listed Property and hedge funds.
Hayley has completed a BA in Psychology and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0432 686 021
Regions: VIC TAS SA
Murray Pell
Head of Wholesale Division - Australia
Murray has over 20 years experience in the Australian financial services market covering platforms, insurance and managed accounts predominantly focussed on sales, strategy and corporate partnerships. Most recently, Murray spent 7 years at Macquarie where he was responsible for building and executing the National key account strategy across platform, managed accounts and cash management.
Previous to this, Murray has held distribution roles at BT, and Citigroup. Murray has a Communications degree and holds a Diploma of Financial Services from Kaplan.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0423 847 650
Brad MacKay
Regional Manager, Distribution - QLD and NT - Australia
Brad has spent an enjoyable 25 years in the financial services industry. He commenced as a financial adviser where he obtained his Certified Financial Planner designation before moving into the corporate sector where he held senior positions in the investment divisions of both NAB/MLC and Zurich.
Before joining Milford, he was an Investment Consultant with the Centrepoint Alliance group of licensees.
Brad’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce, a Diploma of Financial Planning, a Diploma of Financial Markets and a Certificate in Philanthropy and NFP studies. He is a long standing member of the Financial Planning Association of Australia and also a member of Philanthropy Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0448 388 139
Matt Bills
Regional Manager, Distribution - VIC, SA and TAS - Australia
Matt is responsible for growing relationships with financial advisers, wealth management firms and investment consultants in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia. He’s worked in the financial service industry for over 15 years, holding various roles including administration, financial advice and more recently platform and managed account distribution.
Prior to joining Milford in July 2021, Matt spent twelve years at Macquarie. He established strong practice management skills and relationships across the advice industry.
Matt has completed a bachelor’s degree of Commerce, and a Diploma of Financial Planning.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0458 292 544
Investment Team
Wayne Gentle
Chief Investment Officer & Executive Director
Wayne is the Chief Investment Officer at Milford and the Head of Australian Investments. He is the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Australian Equities Wholesale, Trans-Tasman Equity and Australian Absolute Growth Funds. He has over 25 years’ experience in managing a diverse range of Australian equities portfolios. Prior to joining Milford, Wayne was Deputy Head of Australian Equities at Colonial First State Global Asset Management. Previously, Wayne held Senior Analyst and Deputy Head of Research roles with Allianz Global Investors, and JP Morgan.
Wayne holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Sydney University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Martin Cox
Head of Private Markets, Investment Director
Martin is the Head of Private Markets and is an Investment Director for Milford Private Equity Fund III.
Martin is an experienced investment and strategy professional with a background that includes prior roles as Investment Director with HRL Morrison & Co, as a Consultant with McKinsey & Company, time spent at Spark and in a range of consulting and advisory roles. Martin completed his Bachelor and Masters in Commerce (Hons) at the University of Auckland, and earned his MBA (Dean’s List) from INSEAD in France, while he was a recipient of the NZ Prime Minister’s Scholarship in Business.
William Curtayne
Portfolio Manager
William joined Milford in 2010 and is primarily based in Auckland after working in Milford’s Sydney office from its establishment in 2014 before returning to Auckland in 2021.
William focuses mainly on Australian equities as the Portfolio Manager of the Australian Absolute Growth Funds and the Milford Dynamic Funds. William is also Co- Manager of the flagship Milford Active Growth Fund.
William visits and speaks to hundreds of companies every year and conducts detailed financial analysis to uncover high quality investment ideas.
William has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Auckland majoring in Finance and Economics, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Michael Higgins
Portfolio Manager
Michael joined Milford in January 2017 and is Portfolio Manager of the Milford Dynamic Funds. Previously he spent four years at Macquarie Securities as a Senior Analyst in the Emerging Leaders Research team. Prior to that, Michael was an Analyst at the Global Research House Morningstar. Over the past seven years, his coverage has been varied across a broad range of smaller technology and industrial companies. Michael also worked as a Structural Engineer at Sinclair Knight Merz in Sydney before switching into the funds management industry. He holds a Masters of Commerce and a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), both from the University of Sydney.
Daniel Simmonds
Portfolio Manager
Daniel is a Portfolio Manager focussed on global infrastructure, utilities and real estate assets. He works on a number of Funds at Milford with a particular focus on the Milford Diversified Income Fund. Previously he spent 7 years at RARE Infrastructure where he was a Portfolio Manager and Senior Analyst and 4.5 years at CP2 (formerly Capital Partners) as an Investment Analyst.
Daniel holds Economics (Hons) and Arts degrees from the University of Western Australia, and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance from Macquarie University. Daniel is based in Sydney.
Alexander Whight
Portfolio Manager
Alexander is a Portfolio Manager in the Global Equities team. Prior to joining Milford in 2020, Alexander was a Portfolio Manager and foundational member of the global equities team at AustralianSuper, which managed >$10bn invested in international shares. Alexander also spent 5 years at J.P. Morgan Cazenove in London covering European Industrial stocks, and began his investment career in Sydney in 2004 with Tyndall Investment Management.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of Sydney and a Master’s in Applied Finance & Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.
Alexander is based in Milford’s Sydney office.
Greg Cassidy
Portfolio Manager
Greg is a Portfolio Manager based in the Sydney office focussing on Australian equities. Prior to joining Milford in October 2016, Greg spent over a decade as a Senior Analyst at Tribeca Investment Partners in Sydney following two years at AMP Henderson. During his career, Greg has covered many sectors including resources, energy, banks, utilities, steels and building materials. Greg has a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Sydney, a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia and is a CFA Charterholder.
Jason Kururangi
Senior Analyst
Jason is a Senior Analyst based in our Sydney office, focusing on Australian equities. He is the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Australian Absolute Growth Funds. Prior to joining Milford in October 2020, Jason spent 8 years as a Portfolio Manager and Investment Analyst at Aberdeen Standard Investments focused primarily on the Australian market. During his career, Jason has covered many sectors including real estate, banks, diversified financials, resources, information technology and healthcare. Jason holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from the University of Auckland, a MA in Land Economy from the University of Cambridge, and is currently undertaking an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge. He is also a CFA Charterholder.
Roland Houghton
Investment Analyst
Roland joined Milford in May 2016 as an Investment Analyst, based in the Sydney office. His role at Milford is to research, meet and analyse a range of companies to identify potential opportunities. Prior to Milford, Roland worked as a junior Portfolio Manager at a boutique funds management company based in Sydney.
Roland graduated from Victoria University of Wellington in 2014 with a Bachelor of Commerce, double majoring in Finance and Marketing and is a CFA Charterholder.
Kate Power
Investment Analyst
Kate is a Junior Investment Analyst based in our Sydney office, focusing on Australian equities. Her role at Milford is to assist the Australian Equities team with company research and analysis.
Prior to joining Milford in June 2021, Kate worked at QIC in the Global Real Estate team as an Investment Analyst. Kate graduated from the University of Queensland in 2019 with a Bachelor of Advanced Finance and Economics.
William McVeagh
Dealer
Will joined Milford in 2018 as the Australian Dealer based in the Sydney office, responsible for trade execution. Prior to joining Milford, Will was trading equity and FX for Kiwi Wealth Investments in Wellington. Will has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Otago, and is a CFA charterholder.
Group Executive Leadership Team
Mark Ryland
Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director
Mark was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in February 2019.
He initially joined Milford May 2014 as Head of Risk & Compliance. He was appointed Head of Product & Operations in February 2017, with responsibility for building a centre of excellence in operational processes to serve Milford Clients and for the design, development and maintenance of investment product and solutions that helps clients meet their financial goals and life stage aspirations and responsible for the development and maintenance of digital platforms that deliver such products and meet client service needs.
Prior to joining Milford, Mark worked as Managing Director at Brook Asset Management, Chief Operating Officer at Macquarie Private Wealth, and at ASB Group Investments where roles included Acting Head of Wealth, Head of Aegis, and GM Finance and Risk Strategy. Prior to arriving in New Zealand, Mark worked as Assistant Director of Operations at Threadneedle Asset Management in the UK.
Mark is a UK Qualified Accountant and a Fellow of Chartered Certified Accountants (F.C.C.A).
Wayne Gentle
Chief Investment Officer & Executive Director
Wayne is the Chief Investment Officer at Milford and the Head of Australian Investments. He is the Co-Portfolio Manager of the Australian Equities Wholesale, Trans-Tasman Equity and Australian Absolute Growth Funds. He has over 25 years’ experience in managing a diverse range of Australian equities portfolios. Prior to joining Milford, Wayne was Deputy Head of Australian Equities at Colonial First State Global Asset Management. Previously, Wayne held Senior Analyst and Deputy Head of Research roles with Allianz Global Investors, and JP Morgan.
Wayne holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from Sydney University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia, and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Kristine Brooks
Head of Australian Business
Kristine is the Head of Australian Business at Milford. It is her responsibility to develop and drive the strategy to grow Milford’s Australian business, she will lead the development of Milford’s profile and credibility in the Australian market place.
Kristine has over 25 years experience in the Australian Financial Services Industry, working in Stockbroking, Financial Advice, Life Insurance and Funds Management, with extensive experience in Strategic Business Growth including M&A, Business Development, Brand and Marketing.
Prior to joining Milford, Kristine was the Chief Distribution Officer for Zurich Financial Services Australia and was at Zurich for 16 years. Previously, Kristine held Business Development roles with Challenger Financial Services and Deutsche Financial Planning.
Kristine holds a Diploma in Financial Services from the Securities Institute of Australia.
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0401 105 632
Sarah Mitchell
Head of Marketing and Client Experience
Sarah is the Head of Marketing and Client Experience at Milford, responsible for promoting Milford’s Funds and services and the growth and enhancement our client interactions and experience. The marketing team that Sarah heads supports the various client facing areas of the business across New Zealand and Australia.
Since joining Milford in 2010, Sarah has held roles across Client Services, Product and Marketing.
Prior to working with Milford she was employed by Hastings Funds Management in Melbourne, Australia, working within Investor Relations and marketing.
Sarah has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) from the University of Auckland.
James Bourke
Chief Financial Officer
James joined Milford as Chief Financial Officer in January 2019.
Prior to joining Milford, he had over 14 years’ experience in the financial services industry, primarily in Auckland and London. James was the General Manager – Management Information and prior to that General Manager – Financial Information & Control, both at ASB Bank (Auckland). Earlier in his career he held roles in the Treasury function at Investec Bank (London and Sydney) and Morgan Stanley (London). In addition to his finance background, James has management consulting experience, primarily from his time with Accenture (Wellington).
James is a Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA, CGMA) and has a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration degree (with First Class Honours) from Victoria University of Wellington and a Certificate in International Treasury Management (Distinction) from The Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Liz Hall
Head of People & Culture
As Head of People & Culture Liz is responsible for developing and implementing people strategies which further build on our high performing values-based culture.
Liz is an experienced people and culture leader with more than 25 years’ working across multiple sectors including technology, healthcare, and professional services. Prior to joining Milford, she was employed as National People & Culture Director at Grant Thornton.
Liz completed her LLB at the University of Otago and a Master of Commerce (First Class) from the University of Auckland.
Murray Harris
Head of KiwiSaver & Distribution
Murray is responsible for Milford’s KiwiSaver business and the distribution team managing Milford’s institutional and intermediary relationships.
Since joining Milford in January 2013, Murray has held a number of senior roles across the business including Head of Wholesale and Head of Wealth Management & Advice. Murray has over 20 years’ experience in financial services in New Zealand and London. Previously, Murray was part of the Senior Management Team at Spicers Portfolio Management, a Director at Goldman Sachs JBWere Asset Management and Vice President at BT Funds Management NZ.
Murray is a Senior Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, where he completed a Diploma of Financial Markets and is a Business graduate from Massey University. He is a member of Workplace Savings New Zealand and the Institute of Finance Professionals of NZ (INFINZ).
Philip Morgan Rees
Head of Private Wealth
Philip joined Milford in August 2017 as Head of Private Wealth and brings a breadth of experience at Executive and Senior Management level from a 30-year career.
Prior to joining Milford, Philip held senior management positions at several of New Zealand’s leading and long-established wealth and fund managers including roles as General Manager, Head of Product Management, Investments (NZ) and Head of Product Management and Marketing. Philip has been responsible for large Financial Advisory teams and first-hand experience with High Net Worth and Institutional clients complemented by experience in investment governance through; membership of three investment and asset allocation committees, Chairmanship of a Staff Superannuation Fund and trustee of a large charitable trust.
Philip is a Financial Adviser.
John Paull
Head of Product and Operations
John was appointed to the role of Head of Product and Operations in February 2019, responsible for Milford’s Product, Operational, Client Service and IT functions.
Since joining Milford in 2015, John has worked in various leadership roles across Operations, IT and Client Services. Prior to working with Milford, he was with Colonial First State in Australia for 13 years, spending the last 8 years as Head of Investment Operations. His team was responsible for providing investment administration services to the Investment Management, Insurance and Superannuation businesses within Colonial First State. John has 20 years’ experience in Financial Services in Australia and New Zealand and over 15 years leading Operational teams.
Mairead O'Malley
Company Secretary
Mairead joined the firm in September 2015 and is Company Secretary for the Milford Group of Companies. She has significant experience at both Board and C-Suite level, having worked in senior executive support roles at BHP (Melbourne), Television New Zealand, ABN Amro New Zealand , KPMG New Zealand and Spark.
Mairead is currently working towards completion of the Governance New Zealand Professional Education Programme, which is the gateway to membership of both Governance New Zealand and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) – both leading international associations for governance practitioners.