eFinancialCareers

UBS, Citigroup and HSBC all plan to increase their market share in Australia's wealth management market, which could see some fierce competition for top advisors. UBS appears to be leading the race after poaching at least seven wealth management advisors from Citigroup, according to The Australian. Another two Citigroup advisors have reportedly left to join Macquarie. Simone Mears, director of search firm Profusion, believes that there is strong demand at all... Read more

Macquarie Bank has enlisted the services of a top business school to help it attract and retain staff. theage.com.au says Australia's top investment bank is collaborating with French business school INSEAD to offer a tailored Masters in Finance degree to its employees. As long as they pass, their fees will be paid by the bank. Nicholas Moore, Macquarie Bank's head of investment banking, is quoted as saying he hopes the course will... Read more

Australian investors are leaping aboard CDO bandwagon. Recruiters say it’s creating demand for people who know how to deal with these complex products. Put simply, collateralised debt obligations, otherwise known as CDOs, are securities which allow banks to sell slices of securitised loans according to the risks of default. Global growth in the CDO market has been huge in recent years. But growth in synthetic CDOs has been bigger still. US-based... Read more

Bankers are sitting on a profit of more than $25bn (€21bn) on their share options on the back of the meteoric rise in financial stock prices on both sides of the Atlantic over the past 12 months. The recovery in banking stocks has left staff at the biggest US and European banks with share options worth a total of almost $100bn at the start of this year. Figures compiled by Financial... Read more

It’s nearing the end of the summer in Sydney and the city is suffering from a drought of debt capital markets (DCM) originators. Australian recruiters say the situation is reaching crisis point. “You can’t hire a DCM originator here for love or money,” says Oliver Darkes, a consultant at recruitment firm Carmichael Fisher. “It’s a particularly hot market, and the shortage of talent is becoming ridiculous.” Patrick Everest, a consultant at Jon... Read more

Solicitors say UK government plans to introduce a new points-based immigration system will make it easier for non-EU financial services employees to work in the country. Julia Onslow Cole, a partner at law firm CMS Cameron McKenna, says in future most banking employees will be able to enter the UK without lining up a job in advance. Under the new system, migrants who amass more than 75 points after meeting a... Read more

A new survey suggests that finance and human resources staff in the UK, Australia and Ireland move overseas for the pure joy of travelling. By comparison, their counterparts in France and Germany tend to move abroad for career reasons. The survey, of 1,800 international finance and HR professionals by Robert Half International, found that 68% and 63% respectively of those surveyed in France and Germany cited a career move as the... Read more

Last week South Australian-based Funds SA appointed Hong Kong-based Lloyd George Management to manage an Asia ex-Japan equities mandate worth A$66 million. Launched last December, the Myer Family Office is also a seed investor in Lloyd George’s Asia-ex Japan fund. Moving with the times Not only are mandates leaving our shores - international banks are looking overseas to hire high-quality candidates. “In the past, the UK and the US have been... Read more

When it comes to having a few ‘mistruths’ on your resume, or ‘inflating’ your salary to a prospective employer, don’t even let it cross your mind. These days, it is common practice for a company to run a detailed background check on an applicant. In fact, gone are the days when all a company does is contact the referees that the candidate has nominated. Angus Price, a partner from search firm... Read more

With a historically low unemployment rate of about 5% in Australia, the financial services sector continues to boom ahead at a great speed. That’s good news for candidates but a tougher market for employers out recruiting as the talent pool is thinner on the ground. According to Angus Price, a partner from search firm Derwent Executive, it’s not just investment banks and fund managers that are actively hiring but also corporates growing... Read more

An international shortage of financial services talent is creating a brain drain from smaller markets according to one recruiter. “Whenever conditions are strong in Asia, London, or New York, analyst and associate level bankers who are seeking a more international career make the most of the opportunity to move on,” says Victoria Biggs, a consultant at Sydney-based Jon Michel Executive Search. “We are seeing a real exodus at the junior level,”... Read more

Credit Suisse is gearing up in Asian prime services. The Swiss bank has appointed Jupiter Asset Management’s Kevin Meehan as director and head of Asian prime services coverage in Hong Kong, according to Finance Asia. The bank’s Hong Kong prime services team now numbers 10 and further hires are forecast as the bank seeks to grow the business in Hong Kong, as well as in Australia, Singapore and Tokyo.

The Australian job market is crying out for financial planners and paraplanners, with demand up nearly 100% according to some reports. Recruitment specialist eJobs noted 460 advertised roles for Sydney, Regional NSW and ACT in May, an 80% rise on last year, MoneyManagement.com reports. According to eJobs’ report, Australia is also short on candidates. This is bad news for employers, but good news for candidates, who can command higher salaries for their... Read more

National Australia Bank is building up its institutional markets and services division. The bank will spend an extra $10 million this financial year on diversifying resources and adding staff, the Australian Financial Review reports. National Australia Bank's restructuring of its institutional banking division will provide the next leg of growth. The bank is turning its attention to growth and the marketing of new products, and expects the restructuring of its globally focused... Read more

Employees of ABN AMRO’s Australian operations have become part owners of the company. ABN AMRO’s Australian staff are set to buy out 25% of the equity in the local business, according to The Australian. The paper says all staff at the bank have received a share of equity, with each receiving $1,000 of shares per year of service and senior staff having the option to buy more. ABN’s Australian operation is following in... Read more

Westpac Financial Planning is looking to hire an unspecified number of financial advisers, in anticipation of increased demand for professional advice, reports MoneyManagement.com. Westpac expects demand for their services to increase as a result of the superannuation changes handed down in the 2006 Federal Budget. Alongside technical skills, the company is reportedly in search of people who fit with company’s values of teamwork, integrity, and achievement.

The number of people planning to leave England has doubled in the past three years, and Australia is high on their list. The number of people planning to leave England has doubled in the past three years, and Australia is high on their list. 13 per cent of Brits surveyed by research company ICM said they wanted to leave “in the near future”, up from 7 per cent in 2003, and a... Read more

With booming conditions globally, is an MBA still required to get to the top of the pile? Richard Lyons, from executive search firm Carr Lyons, says that MBAs are more valuable at the associate level than at the assistant-director of VP level. At the associate level an MBA from a good university will separate people from the crowd. At the higher end, employers are looking more for solid experience in their... Read more