Top talent win finance awards

Mainfreight managing director Don Braid received the leadership award.

Salt Funds Management has been crowned fund manager of the year at the finance industry's premier set of awards.

The 2016 Institute of Finance Professionals (INFINZ) awards were held in Auckland last night to celebrate success and excellence in New Zealand's capital markets.Thirteen gongs were given out during a gala dinner at the Langham Hotel attended by more than 800 people.

Auckland's Salt Funds Management took out the fund manager of the year for equities and Fisher Funds Management was given the same award for the bond market.

First NZ Capital was crowned sharebroking firm of the year and its head of institutional research Arie Dekker was named research analyst of the year. Mainfreight managing director Don Braid received the leadership award.

"Don has implemented the Mainfreight board's long-range strategy to become the best in its business and has helped the company to become a global supply chain business with over 240 branches around the world offering sophisticated logistics solutions," INFINZ said.

INFINZ's inaugural distinguished fellowship was given to Sir John Anderson. ASB's David Bell, who is general manager of business ventures, was given a fellowship, recognising his delivery of programs that brought the capital markets eco-system together, which included him serving as chair of the annual INFINZ conference.

Financial Markets Authority chief executive Rob Everett, in his keynote speech, said New Zealand was a bit of an outlier in the world because financial services here didn't have a pariah status.

However, he said it didn't take much to damage a reputation and told the audience that, as leaders of the industry, the FMA cared about the examples they set for the sector and the image they portrayed. Everett said it was the job of the people in the room, not the FMA, to set the industry's culture, which was critical in driving how its participants behave.

- Staff Reporter