Mr Rowe joined the company in October 2016 as a director, and prior to this held a number of senior financial services roles including managing director of Adelaide-based Hood Sweeney, and was the longest serving director of the Financial Planning Association of Australia.
Countplus chairman Barry Lambert said, “Countplus welcomes the known and capable skills of Matthew Rowe in taking on this leadership role for Countplus.
“The board endorses Matthew’s appointment as part of a revitalised approach to capturing greater growth upside on behalf of Countplus member firms, their clients and company shareholders.
“We expect Matthew to hit the ground running given his strong familiarity with the professional services sector, the Countplus business and its member firms. We look forward to Matthew applying the same leadership attributes he displayed in lifting the standards of all financial planners on behalf of Australian consumers as chairman of the Financial Planning Association.”
Mr Rowe said his first priority as incoming chief executive is to speak with each principal of the Countplus member network.
“Many of those people are known personally to me. They are dedicated professionals, and I look forward to supporting each practice to exploit the latent opportunities of scale amid the ongoing convergence and partnerships between accounting and financial planning in Australia,” he said.
The appointment follows after Mark Rantall, former FPA chief executive, was appointed as independent chairman of Countplus-aligned dealer group, Total Financial Solutions.
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