In an ASX listing on Thursday, Centrepoint (CAF) said Simon Swanson has resigned as chair, effective immediately, and as a director, effective 31 January 2024.
Mr Swanson’s appointment as chair was only just announced in August. He had been with the company since 2021 when he joined as a non-executive director.
Also on Thursday, Centrepoint said Georg Chmiel has been appointed chair, effective immediately.
Mr Chmiel has three decades of experience in fast-growing businesses and has led over 40 acquisitions. He is also the co-founder and chair of Juwai-IQI Holdings, the largest proptech group in Southeast Asia with more than 35,000 sales agents powered by a proptech platform, non-executive chair of Spacetalk, and non-executive director of Xamble Group and Kinatico.
Mr Chmiel was also managing director and chief executive officer of LJ Hooker Group with 700 real estate and mortgage broking offices across 10 countries.
Commenting on the changes, the new chair thanked Mr Swanson for his significant contribution over the years.
“The successful acquisition and integration of the ClearView Advice business as well as Financial Advice Matters sets a solid foundation for the future growth of CAF,” said Mr Chmiel.
“During Simon’s term, CAF has grown its adviser network by over 60 per cent, delivering financial advice and solutions to more Australians. We express our gratitude to Simon’s dedication to CAF, his strategic and growth mindset, leadership in culture and performance.”
Similarly, John Shuttleworth, chief executive officer of CAF, said, “Simon has been a terrific director and advocate for Centrepoint and the financial advice industry generally”.
“Simon saw the benefits of consolidation and scale, initiating the sale of ClearView’s advice business to CAF in November 2021, which resulted in him joining the board. Simon has always been actively engaged with the team, and regularly spent time visiting advice practices to understand firsthand the help and support our advisers need.
“Simon will be missed for many reasons, his breadth and experience in financial services, his decisive practical approach, and for his humour, warmth, and the positive impact he had with the Centrepoint Team.”
Maja Garaca Djurdjevic
Maja's career in journalism spans well over a decade across finance, business and politics. Now an experienced editor and reporter across all elements of the financial services sector, prior to joining Momentum Media, Maja reported for several established news outlets in Southeast Europe, scrutinising key processes in post-conflict societies.
