Pacific AM to land SMA solutions Down Under, appoints investment chief

Pacific Portfolio Solutions (PPS), the related body corporate of Pacific Asset Management (PAM), will bring the latter's separately managed account (SMA) solutions to Australia from the UK, welcoming an industry stalwart to chart the course.

Both PPS and PAM are wholly owned subsidiaries of the ASX-listed Pinnacle Investment Management.

The initial PPS offering will include the Pinnacle SMA range, comprising Moderate, Balanced, Income, Growth, High Growth, and Listed Growth portfolios, built exclusively from Pinnacle affiliates' actively managed strategies, the firm said.

PAM chief executive Matt Lamb said he is looking forward to bringing those capabilities to Australia.

"We're bringing something distinctive to Australian managed accounts with PAM's proven multi-asset process and implementation technology," Lamb said.

"Being part of the broader Pinnacle group uniquely positions the team to draw on the breadth of expertise across the group's high-quality affiliated fund managers and the strength of its institutional infrastructure."

To support the launch, PPS has appointed former Perpetual chief investment officer Kyle Lidbury to lead it Australia-based investment team.

Financial Standard reported on the appointment in March, but Pinnacle did not disclose his position at the time.

In the newly created role of chief investment officer, Lidbury will oversee PPS' managed account portfolio construction, asset allocation, and adviser investment communications.

Lidbury has more than two decades of financial services experience spanning investment research and portfolio management across the industry, including senior leadership roles at Perpetual, NAB Asset Management, MLC and Lendlease.

He said he is excited to bring established investment capabilities and technology of PAM to the Australian market tailored for local financial advisers and their clients.

"Pacific combines specialist investment expertise with modern technology, enabling us to implement investment decisions and adjust portfolio positioning with a level of efficiency and flexibility I have not previously seen in the Australian market," Lidbury said.

Meanwhile, Pinnacle head of managed accounts David Wright said: "Kyle brings deep investment expertise and a strong understanding of the needs of financial advisers."

"He combines his portfolio construction and asset allocation experience with an ability to explain investment decisions clearly and communicate what they mean for client portfolios."

Lamb added that he is "delighted to have Kyle leading the Australia investment team as we build on our success in the UK market."

In the coming months, Lidbury will also help to introduce the Pacific Core range - PAM's flagship UK model portfolio offering - to Australia through managed account solutions.