The business has confirmed further important appointments. Heather Hopkins has been appointed Director of Research and starts next month; she previously held senior roles with Experian, Hitwise and Econsultancy.
Heather will work alongside Georgina Pardoe, Head of Marketing & Strategy, who started with the Platforum in July from Aberdeen Asset Management, where she was Head of European Marketing.
The core team at the Platforum is centred around industry experts, including Jeremy Fawcett, Head of Direct, Dr. Richard Bradley, Head of Data and Annalise Toberman, Fund Distribution Research Associate. In addition, Centaur expects to announce further appointments in the near future in the adviser platform channel.
Further, the team will be supported by Danby Bloch, Editorial Director of Taxbriefs, which is part of the Centaur Financial Group. His in-depth knowledge of the advisory and platform market has already proved invaluable to the research insights.
Meanwhile Corporate Adviser editor John Greenwood is expanding his role within Centaur Financial to oversee research in the retirement market.
At the same time, Centaur confirms that Holly Mackay, founder and MD of The Platforum, has resigned and will be leaving in November after six years with the business. Holly has been actively involved in the handover to the new team, and will still be chairing the annual Platforum conference on 8th October, which will be the eighth and largest in the series, says Centaur.
Sandeep Saujani said: “Platforum is one of the most trusted, influential and authoritative independent sources of information for advisers, platforms and asset managers. Our product set and client base continue to grow.
“With the new additions we are making to the team, and by combining Platforum’s insights with Money Marketing’s access to market, we look forward to continuing to develop this highly respected brand. On behalf of the team, I’d like to thank Holly for her input and enthusiasm. ”
Holly Mackay said: “I have had a great time building and developing the business which is going from strength to strength. I’d like to thank my team and everyone at Centaur for their generous support and I wish them well for the exciting second chapter of The Platforum. I’d also like to thank our lovely clients and readers for their encouragement, advice, input and content over the last six years.”
Centaur Financial comprises Platforum, Money Marketing, Mortgage Strategy, Fund Strategy, Taxbriefs, Headline Money and Corporate Adviser. The business provides news, analysis and insight to fund managers, product providers and financial intermediaries through print, online, mobile and events. Centaur Financial is part of Centaur Media, an award winning UK-based multi-platform media group that delivers information, insight and interaction to professional and consumer markets.
