Colonial First State Global Asset Management head of investment markets research Hans Kunnen will retire next week after more than 10 years at the helm.
"I turn 55 next week and I'm able to access my super. I've had the best job in Australia for the last 10 years, but there are other things in life I want to explore," Kunnen said.
Kunnen plans to be more involved in pastoral work with his local church.
He has also written a book about wealth creation and is on the lookout for a publisher.
"There might be opportunities to discuss that with people in the years ahead," he said.
Kunnen most recently reported to Colonial First State chief investment officer David Dixon and was responsible for working with portfolio managers and analysts, discussing economic issues that affect their stock selection.
"I worked with the fixed interest teams, the equity teams, the property teams and the global resources team and discussed economics," he said.
He was also the company's media spokesperson on economic and markets issues.
"I have spent a lot of time talking to financial advisors and their clients about what is going on in markets. So given the state of the economic markets, that has been frenetic," he said.
Prior to joining Colonial First State Asset Management, Kunnen was the chief economist at the State Bank of NSW and has lectured in economics at Macquarie University in Sydney.
A Colonial First State Asset Management spokesperson said an internal and external search for a replacement has commenced.
