What We do
Contango Asset Management Limited (ASX:CGA) is a financial services company with a marketing and distribution platform that partners with, and promotes, high quality fund managers to the self-directed and Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) channels of the
$2.9 trillion* superannuation industry.
The Contango Group has an exclusive retail distribution arrangement to distribute global equities manager WCM Investment Management to the Australian Retail Australian Retail Market.
WCM is the investment adviser of WCM Global Growth Limited (ASX:WQG), the WCM Quality Global Growth Fund (Quoted Managed Fund) (ASX:WCMQ), the WCM Quality Global Growth Fund (Managed Fund), the WCM International Small Cap Growth Fund (Managed Fund) and the Contango Income Generator portfolio (the WCM Global Long Short Equity Strategy).
WCM is a California-based investment management firm specialising in active global and emerging market equities. Founded in 1976, WCM is majority employee owned and manages A$106.7 billion (as at 31 December 2020) on behalf of institutional and retail investors around the world including Australia.
WCM believes the direction of a company’s economic moat is of more importance than its absolute width or size.
WCM’s two criteria for any company to be considered for inclusion in its portfolios are:
- a rising competitive advantage (or expanding economic moat) and
- a corporate culture that supports the expansion of this moat.
The Group also operates Switzer Asset Management (SAM) a wholly owned subsidiary that provides investment solutions for SMSF trustees, self directed investors and financial advisers .
SAM is the responsible entity of the Switzer Dividend Growth Fund (Quoted Managed Fund) (ASX:SWTZ) and the Switzer Higher Yield Fund (Managed Fund) which is managed by Chris Joye’s Coolabah Capital.
Our People
Roger Amos
Non-executive Chairman
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Roger Amos
FCA, FAICD
Non-executive Chairman
Roger was appointed to the Board in June 2007 and became Chairman six months later. Roger is an independent director of HT & E Limited and 3P Learning Limited. Roger was a director of REA Group Limited from 2006 to 2020 and a director of Enero Group Limited from 2006 to 2010. He was also a director until May 2012 of Austar United Communications Limited. He was Chairman of Opera Foundation Australia from 2009 to 2014 and is a Governor of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation. He previously had a long and distinguished career with the international accounting firm KPMG, retiring in June 2006 after 25 years as a partner.
Martin Switzer
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
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Martin Switzer
B.Ec (Hons)
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Martin is Chief Executive Officer of Contango Asset Management Limited (CAML), a position he has held since 27 October 2017. Prior to that he was a director of CAML and held that position since 25 August 2016. He is also a director of Switzer Asset Management Limited (since 30 December 2015), a director of WCM Global Growth Limited (since 9 February 2017), and a director of Contango Income Generator Limited (since 21 February 2019).
Before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CAML, Martin was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Switzer Financial Group, a content and financial services business. He has been a host on the Sky News Business channel, as well as a consultant to the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Centre.
Nerida Campbell
Independent Non-executive Director
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Nerida Campbell
B.Bus, CA, FINSIA, GAICD.
Independent Non-executive Director
Nerida was appointed to the board on 17 August 2018 following a 25 year career in the financial services industry. Most recently she acted as the Chief Operating Officer of Magellan Financial Group Limited, having also held the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. Prior to this, Nerida was the CFO of UBS AG Australia, and had roles at ABN Amro Australia Limited, Bankers Trust Australia Limited and Ernst and Whinney. She was also a member of the ASX Disciplinary Tribunal Panel.
Ken Poutakidis
Independent Non-executive Director
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Ken Poutakidis
Independent Non-executive Director
Ken Poutakidis is corporate adviser and corporate finance executive with 20 years of finance experience. He is the Managing Director and Founder of Avenue Advisory, a boutique advisory firm providing corporate finance and capital markets advice to emerging companies. Previously, Mr Poutakidis worked as a management consultant and a corporate finance executive with leading equity firms across Australia and Asia. His particular expertise includes capital raisings, mergers & acquisitions, corporate advisory, asset divestment and strategy development. He has previously served as Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Director for numerous publicly listed ASX companies. He sits on the Advisory Board of a leading civil contractor, and is the founder and Chair of the Theofilos Foundation, a charity formed to support students improve their education outcomes. He has a Bachelor of Business degree from Monash University.
Jarrod Deakin
Chief Operating Officer
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Jarrod Deakin
BEc, Grad Dip Applied Finance
Chief Operating Officer
Jarrod brings more than 22 years’ experience across investment banking, corporate advisory and portfolio management to his role as Portfolio Manager – Income Solutions. He has extensive investment experience across asset classes including fixed interest, equity and currencies with more than 10 years working in offshore markets including New York, Boston and Hong Kong.
He began his career in Melbourne with HSBC before moving on to roles with Credit Suisse and then Citigroup. Jarrod moved back to his native Adelaide in early 2013 where he managed the fixed interest and equity portfolios for RAA prior to re-joining a number of ex-HSBC colleagues at Contango.
Jarrod holds a Bachelor of Economics, Grad. Dip. Applied Finance and Dip. Financial Planning (RG146 accreditation).
Olivia Fairfield
Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager
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Olivia Fairfield
Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager
Olivia brings over 7 years’ financial marketing experience across investment management, superannuation, financial planning, insurance and accounting to her role as Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager.
Olivia has experience across a range of asset classes including equities, ETFs, fixed interest and alternatives, having worked in various offshore markets including London, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Prior to Contango Asset Management Olivia has held roles at BlueChip Communication, Peter Vickers Business Group, Brunswick Group and the BBC.
Olivia has won 5 Transform APAC awards including 3 golds, is a member of the Australian Marketing Institute and a global sports ambassador for Cancer Research UK.
Shawn Burns
Senior Portfolio Manager
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Shawn Burns
B Ec, CFA, CPA, F Fin
Senior Portfolio Manager
Shawn is the portfolio manager of the Switzer Dividend Growth Fund (ASX:SWTZ) and Contango Income Generator Limited (ASX:CIE). Shawn has over 29 years investment experience. Over this time his roles have included stock analysis and portfolio management responsibilities for several large international investment managers.
As an analyst Shawn has covered most sectors of the Australian market. As a portfolio manager Shawn has successfully managed portfolios varying in size from several million to a few billion dollars.
Fund Managers that Shawn has worked for have won a number of industry awards including twice being the Lonsec Australian Equities top broad cap manager and twice being a finalist in the Morningstar Australian Equities fund manager awards.
Katrina Griffiths
Compliance Manager
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Katrina Griffiths
BEcon
Compliance Manager
Katrina has more than 15 years of experience in financial services, working with companies that operate across a range of financial products, including equities, foreign exchange and derivatives. She has broad operational experience and a thorough understanding of trading systems for dealing, and mandate compliance.
Katrina has previously worked as a chief operations officer for several fund managers, with responsibility for both compliance and operations. She has also held a range of management and training roles with Macquarie Bank across trading, dealing and private wealth.
For the past five years, Katrina has also managed her own family office fund, where she has focused on currency and international derivatives trading. She holds a BEcon in economics and marketing from the University of Sydney and is an Accredited Derivatives Adviser Level 2.
Martin Switzer
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Read Bio
Martin Switzer
B.Ec (Hons)
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Martin is Chief Executive Officer of Contango Asset Management Limited (CAML), a position he has held since 27 October 2017. Prior to that he was a director of CAML and held that position since 25 August 2016. He is also a director of Switzer Asset Management Limited (since 30 December 2015), a director of WCM Global Growth Limited (since 9 February 2017), and a director of Contango Income Generator Limited (since 21 February 2019).
Before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CAML, Martin was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Switzer Financial Group, a content and financial services business. He has been a host on the Sky News Business channel, as well as a consultant to the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Centre.
Anthony Rule
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
Read Bio
Anthony Rule
B.Comm, CPA
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
Anthony has over 16 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry. During this time, he has held senior finance roles across both the Publicly Listed and Private sectors including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and most recently at Hunter Hall International where he held the role of Head of Finance and Operations.
He has extensive experience across both corporate finance, taxation and regulatory reporting. In addition, he has extensive experience across fund accounting, taxation and operations along with systems integration.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce, is a member of CPA Australia and a member of the Governance Institute to of Australia.
Tom Hickey
Head of Marketing
Read Bio
Tom Hickey
B Comm, RG146 Managed Investments
Head of Marketing
After working closely with the Contango team for a number of years, Tom joined the business in October 2018. As Head of Marketing, Tom’s key focus is to promote Contango’s suite of products to an audience of self-direct investors, and to manage private client relationships.
Previously Tom has worked as General Manager, Investments at Switzer Financial Group. Tom holds a Bachelor of Communications from Charles Sturt University and RG146, Managed Investments. He has experience working in the UK, France and Australia.
For private client enquiries, contact Tom on 1300 001 750.
Ben Meakin
Operations Manager
Read Bio
Ben Meakin
BBus, CPA
Operations Manager
Ben has over 15 years’ experience across operations and finance. Ben commenced his career within chartered accounting before moving to Macquarie Asset Management within the Macquarie Group, most recently as Senior Manager of Fund & Portfolio Administration for Asia Pacific. He has extensive experience across operational, regulatory and taxation requirements for listed and unlisted entities, both Australian and global, across all asset classes. In addition, he has extensive experience across project management, transitions and operational design and implementation.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Business and is a member of CPA Australia.
Roger Amos
Non-executive Chairman
Read Bio
Roger Amos
FCA, FAICD
Non-executive Chairman
Roger was appointed to the Board in June 2007 and became Chairman six months later. Roger is an independent director of HT & E Limited and 3P Learning Limited. Roger was a director of REA Group Limited from 2006 to 2020 and a director of Enero Group Limited from 2006 to 2010. He was also a director until May 2012 of Austar United Communications Limited. He was Chairman of Opera Foundation Australia from 2009 to 2014 and is a Governor of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation. He previously had a long and distinguished career with the international accounting firm KPMG, retiring in June 2006 after 25 years as a partner.
Martin Switzer
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Read Bio
Martin Switzer
B.Ec (Hons)
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Martin is Chief Executive Officer of Contango Asset Management Limited (CAML), a position he has held since 27 October 2017. Prior to that he was a director of CAML and held that position since 25 August 2016. He is also a director of Switzer Asset Management Limited (since 30 December 2015), a director of WCM Global Growth Limited (since 9 February 2017), and a director of Contango Income Generator Limited (since 21 February 2019).
Before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CAML, Martin was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Switzer Financial Group, a content and financial services business. He has been a host on the Sky News Business channel, as well as a consultant to the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Centre.
Nerida Campbell
Independent Non-executive Director
Read Bio
Nerida Campbell
B.Bus, CA, FINSIA, GAICD.
Independent Non-executive Director
Nerida was appointed to the board on 17 August 2018 following a 25 year career in the financial services industry. Most recently she acted as the Chief Operating Officer of Magellan Financial Group Limited, having also held the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary. Prior to this, Nerida was the CFO of UBS AG Australia, and had roles at ABN Amro Australia Limited, Bankers Trust Australia Limited and Ernst and Whinney. She was also a member of the ASX Disciplinary Tribunal Panel.
Ken Poutakidis
Independent Non-executive Director
Read Bio
Ken Poutakidis
Independent Non-executive Director
Ken Poutakidis is corporate adviser and corporate finance executive with 20 years of finance experience. He is the Managing Director and Founder of Avenue Advisory, a boutique advisory firm providing corporate finance and capital markets advice to emerging companies. Previously, Mr Poutakidis worked as a management consultant and a corporate finance executive with leading equity firms across Australia and Asia. His particular expertise includes capital raisings, mergers & acquisitions, corporate advisory, asset divestment and strategy development. He has previously served as Chairman of the Board and Non-Executive Director for numerous publicly listed ASX companies. He sits on the Advisory Board of a leading civil contractor, and is the founder and Chair of the Theofilos Foundation, a charity formed to support students improve their education outcomes. He has a Bachelor of Business degree from Monash University.
Jarrod Deakin
Chief Operating Officer
Read Bio
Jarrod Deakin
BEc, Grad Dip Applied Finance
Chief Operating Officer
Jarrod brings more than 22 years’ experience across investment banking, corporate advisory and portfolio management to his role as Portfolio Manager – Income Solutions. He has extensive investment experience across asset classes including fixed interest, equity and currencies with more than 10 years working in offshore markets including New York, Boston and Hong Kong.
He began his career in Melbourne with HSBC before moving on to roles with Credit Suisse and then Citigroup. Jarrod moved back to his native Adelaide in early 2013 where he managed the fixed interest and equity portfolios for RAA prior to re-joining a number of ex-HSBC colleagues at Contango.
Jarrod holds a Bachelor of Economics, Grad. Dip. Applied Finance and Dip. Financial Planning (RG146 accreditation).
Olivia Fairfield
Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager
Read Bio
Olivia Fairfield
Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager
Olivia brings over 7 years’ financial marketing experience across investment management, superannuation, financial planning, insurance and accounting to her role as Senior Marketing and Investor Communication Manager.
Olivia has experience across a range of asset classes including equities, ETFs, fixed interest and alternatives, having worked in various offshore markets including London, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong.
Prior to Contango Asset Management Olivia has held roles at BlueChip Communication, Peter Vickers Business Group, Brunswick Group and the BBC.
Olivia has won 5 Transform APAC awards including 3 golds, is a member of the Australian Marketing Institute and a global sports ambassador for Cancer Research UK.
Shawn Burns
Senior Portfolio Manager
Read Bio
Shawn Burns
B Ec, CFA, CPA, F Fin
Senior Portfolio Manager
Shawn is the portfolio manager of the Switzer Dividend Growth Fund (ASX:SWTZ) and Contango Income Generator Limited (ASX:CIE). Shawn has over 29 years investment experience. Over this time his roles have included stock analysis and portfolio management responsibilities for several large international investment managers.
As an analyst Shawn has covered most sectors of the Australian market. As a portfolio manager Shawn has successfully managed portfolios varying in size from several million to a few billion dollars.
Fund Managers that Shawn has worked for have won a number of industry awards including twice being the Lonsec Australian Equities top broad cap manager and twice being a finalist in the Morningstar Australian Equities fund manager awards.
Katrina Griffiths
Compliance Manager
Read Bio
Katrina Griffiths
BEcon
Compliance Manager
Katrina has more than 15 years of experience in financial services, working with companies that operate across a range of financial products, including equities, foreign exchange and derivatives. She has broad operational experience and a thorough understanding of trading systems for dealing, and mandate compliance.
Katrina has previously worked as a chief operations officer for several fund managers, with responsibility for both compliance and operations. She has also held a range of management and training roles with Macquarie Bank across trading, dealing and private wealth.
For the past five years, Katrina has also managed her own family office fund, where she has focused on currency and international derivatives trading. She holds a BEcon in economics and marketing from the University of Sydney and is an Accredited Derivatives Adviser Level 2.
Martin Switzer
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Read Bio
Martin Switzer
B.Ec (Hons)
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Martin is Chief Executive Officer of Contango Asset Management Limited (CAML), a position he has held since 27 October 2017. Prior to that he was a director of CAML and held that position since 25 August 2016. He is also a director of Switzer Asset Management Limited (since 30 December 2015), a director of WCM Global Growth Limited (since 9 February 2017), and a director of Contango Income Generator Limited (since 21 February 2019).
Before his appointment as Chief Executive Officer of CAML, Martin was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Switzer Financial Group, a content and financial services business. He has been a host on the Sky News Business channel, as well as a consultant to the Australian Defence Force Financial Services Consumer Centre.
Anthony Rule
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
Read Bio
Anthony Rule
B.Comm, CPA
Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary
Anthony has over 16 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry. During this time, he has held senior finance roles across both the Publicly Listed and Private sectors including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and most recently at Hunter Hall International where he held the role of Head of Finance and Operations.
He has extensive experience across both corporate finance, taxation and regulatory reporting. In addition, he has extensive experience across fund accounting, taxation and operations along with systems integration.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce, is a member of CPA Australia and a member of the Governance Institute to of Australia.
Tom Hickey
Head of Marketing
Read Bio
Tom Hickey
B Comm, RG146 Managed Investments
Head of Marketing
After working closely with the Contango team for a number of years, Tom joined the business in October 2018. As Head of Marketing, Tom’s key focus is to promote Contango’s suite of products to an audience of self-direct investors, and to manage private client relationships.
Previously Tom has worked as General Manager, Investments at Switzer Financial Group. Tom holds a Bachelor of Communications from Charles Sturt University and RG146, Managed Investments. He has experience working in the UK, France and Australia.
For private client enquiries, contact Tom on 1300 001 750.
Ben Meakin
Operations Manager
Read Bio
Ben Meakin
BBus, CPA
Operations Manager
Ben has over 15 years’ experience across operations and finance. Ben commenced his career within chartered accounting before moving to Macquarie Asset Management within the Macquarie Group, most recently as Senior Manager of Fund & Portfolio Administration for Asia Pacific. He has extensive experience across operational, regulatory and taxation requirements for listed and unlisted entities, both Australian and global, across all asset classes. In addition, he has extensive experience across project management, transitions and operational design and implementation.
Ben holds a Bachelor of Business and is a member of CPA Australia.