Meg Heffron is taking the role currently held by her fellow co-founder Martin Heffron.
Mr Heffron will remain involved in the business as a director, with responsibilities for long-term strategy, policy and advocacy.
The leadership change follows a string of senior appointments at Heffron, including Natalie Sillar as head of sales and marketing, Kylie Turner as chief financial officer and Alex Denham as a senior SMSF specialist in the education team.
“The board is excited about this change. Meg has all the skills and passion required to drive the continued success of Heffron,” Richard Cawsey, chair of the Heffron board, said.
“Martin’s focus on SMSF advocacy and long-term strategy will allow Heffron to expand its industry influence.”
Ms Heffron said that there is now significant opportunity for the SMSF sector to evolve and that her firm would be taking a “two-pronged approach”.
“That’s why now is the right time for me to take on the managing director role, focusing on Heffron’s 2020 vision, while Martin will focus on our 2030 goals,” Ms Heffron said.
Commenting on his new mandate, Mr Heffron said that there are challenges and opportunities created by environmental shifts and changing demographics.
The royal commission highlighted serious concerns in the industry, he said, with Heffron aiming to raise standards within SMSFs, retirement and financial services.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to move to a new role, with a longer-term horizon,” Mr Heffron said.
“I’ll be able to focus on my passion areas of policy and the core issues in Australia’s retirement income system.
“Heffron aims to have a positive impact on shaping the way that retirement in Australia is viewed. Not just the SMSF space, but also looking at retirement incomes more broadly.”
Ms Heffron commented: “When Martin and I established Heffron in 1998, SMSFs were in their infancy.
“Two decades on, the space has changed considerably, and our business has matured with the sector and we’re proud of the contribution we make.”
Sarah Simpkins
Sarah Simpkins is a journalist at Momentum Media, reporting primarily on banking, financial services and wealth.
Prior to joining the team in 2018, Sarah worked in trade media and produced stories for a current affairs program on community radio.
You can contact her on [email protected].
