Research house Zenith Investment Partners has appointed two senior roles in Sydney and Melbourne.
Dan Cave will join in the newly-created role of deputy head of income research. He joins from Frontier Advisors but previously worked at Zenith from 2017 to 2023 as a senior investment analyst.
At Frontier, he spent three years as a senior investment consultant on the real assets team where he conducted manager research and advised institutional clients on private infrastructure.
Based in Melbourne, Cave will report to head of income research and head of sustainability, Dugald Higgins.
Higgins said: “Dan has deep expertise in income research and a thorough understanding of how Zenith operates – he knows our standards, our methodology and our clients.
“He returns with a broader perspective on the institutional market and a sharper focus on private markets, which adds a valuable dimension to our income research capability. This is a newly created role and Dan will play a central part in continuing to strengthen our offering.”
Secondly, Charl Marais will join the business in Sydney as a senior portfolio manager from Yarra Capital Management where he held the same role. Prior to Yarra, he was a senior portfolio manager at Nikko Asset Management and also worked at Suncorp Group and Morningstar.
He will report to head of portfolio solutions, Andrew Yap.
Yap said: “Charl brings a depth of experience that spans institutional portfolio management, external manager research, and multi-asset portfolio construction across some of Australia’s most respected investment firms.
“His experience demonstrates exactly the kind of rigorous, performance-focused approach our growing client base expects. We’re looking forward to the expanded capacity his appointment will bring to the team.”
Cave’s background in real assets will be helpful as Zenith launches a private asset portfolio in the third quarter of 2026, in association with Link Wealth.
Zenith’s Private Assets Portfolio (ZPAP) reflects the increased adviser interest in private markets among investors and sophistication of the firm’s client base who are looking for assets which will buffer market volatility. Its portfolio will consist of private equity, alternative income, real assets and short-term credit.
ZPAP has been structured to achieve a targeted return of 10-12 per cent per annum (net of fees) over an investment horizon of seven to 10 years which reflects its limited liquidity with monthly redemptions subject to a quarterly cap.
