Former Ignition CEO joins Ensombl as chair

Craig Keary, the former chief executive of the Asia-Pacific region at Ignition Advice, will take over as chair following Andrew Rocks stepping down from the role.

“Having brilliantly steered Ensombl from humble beginnings to its position today as an 8,000-strong, highly engaged and progressive advice community, Andrew Rocks has decided the time was right to step down, paving the way for a new chair to lead us through our next phase of growth,” Ensombl said on LinkedIn.

“We are therefore excited to announce the appointment of highly respected and experienced industry figure Craig Keary as our new chair.

“We would like to thank Andrew for his enormous contribution so far and look forward to him continuing to guide our business as an Ensombl board member. And we are delighted to welcome Craig as our new chair, who, together with Andrew, CEO Clayton Daniel, and our other directors, will write our next exciting chapter while keeping us true to our mission of driving the positive evolution of financial advice.”

Mr Keary added that his appointment comes with the advice network close to launching in South Africa.

“I would like to acknowledge the fantastic work that Andrew Rocks, as outgoing chair, has undertaken to prepare Ensombl for the next phase and look forward to working with him on the board,” he said.

“The management team led by Clayton Daniel are passionate and so committed to the financial planning community and broader ecosystem and I look forward to working with them.

“The Ensombl business has circa 8,000 members of the community in Australia and will soon be live in South Africa. These members are what it is all about as they turn up every day to improve the lives of their clients.”

Ensombl plans to undertake a $3 million Series A capital raising program, which will fund its South African expansion and allow it to invest in its adviser insights technology platform.

Mr Rocks will continue on the board of Ensombl as a director.

Mr Keary stepped down from his position at Ignition Advice in March after two years in the role, adding that he would pursue an advisory and non-executive career.

“I have accepted a new role with Ignition Advice as senior adviser Asia-Pacific where I will be working closely with the board and executive to further Ignition’s growth in the Australia and Asia regions,” he said at the time.