The former executive manager of Pivotal Financial Advisers (Pivotal) is considering her employment options with plans to remain in the financial services industry.
Maria Cheer told InvestorDaily yesterday she intends to take a few weeks off to "step back and review" things following her departure from the TAL-owned group this week.
Cheer said her future plans "definitely" involved remaining in the industry.
"To what extent I don't know at this point, but I will stay in the industry," she said.
"It will be a good change for me leaving TAL and Pivotal. I have done an extensional job for TAL and Pivotal."
Asked whether her departure was due to a review by TAL of her position, Cheer said that was incorrect.
"It was a review of the whole [of TAL's] distribution strategy and what they were planning on doing," she said.
"Pivotal is a very clean licence, PI [professional indemnity insurance] is fantastic. But this is about a distribution. It wasn't a review of my position.
"When I joined four years I inherited a licensee that TAL didn't know what to do with it. I've cleaned it, I've made it into the model that they wanted it to be.
"It was making profit in its own right. We never received any handouts from anybody. I was the key person on the licence. I put my heart and soul into it."
Cheer said TAL's review of its distribution heralded the next phase of growth in terms of the company's direction.
"It's been a great journey for me for the last four years," she said.
"I've stepped down from what I've been asked to do and they can take it in the direction they want to."
Pivotal will now be led by TAL regional manager of Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Northern Territory, Craig Parker.
Parker will take over from Cheer as head of Pivotal Financial Advisers, effective immediately, a statement from TAL said.
In his role, Parker will report to TAL chief executive of Retail Life Brett Clark.
"We sincerely thank Maria for the work she has completed and the strong contributions she has made during her time with TAL and Pivotal," Clark said.
Clark was unavailable for further comment by InvestorDaily's deadline.
