Getting to Know: Murray Harris

 

Who are you and what do you do?

I am the Head of Wealth Management and Advice at Milford Asset Management. This role is responsible for Milford's distribution channels across Private Wealth, Premier Client Services, wholesale clients and KiwiSaver. A team of 21 professionals and I'm very fortunate to lead such a great team.

How did you get into the industry?

After finishing university (Business Studies at Massey in Palmerston North, where I grew up), I travelled and worked in the U.K. and Europe for five years, and worked in several banking and finance contracting roles. I decided when I returned to New Zealand, in 1995, that financial services was where I wanted to develop a long-term career, so I spoke to the key financial services recruitment consultants and was offered a role with BT Funds Management. At that time, BT was just establishing its foothold in New Zealand. They were great years while we built the business with the help of the advisory community. I was lucky to be working with some of best people in the game, whose names are still synonymous with the advent of funds management in New Zealand, such as Jacqui Staley, Maurice MacLaren and Craig Stobo, to name just a few!

If there is one thing you would like to change about the financial advice industry, what would it be? 

That the public don't take financial advice seriously enough. In many ways, New Zealand is still a very immature market and people don't think they need advice, or see value in it. They think it's something they should just get for free, but they wouldn’t think that about dealing with their lawyer, accountant or dentist. As an industry, I don't think we have done enough to demonstrate to consumers the benefits of engaging with an adviser and getting good advice from an early stage in your working life. There hasn’t been enough marketing of the industry and profession by the various industry bodies which have existed over many years.