Eyres swaps Sport Australia for Vanguard investments

Sport Australia CMO and former ANZ bank marketing, chief Louise Eyres, is joining Vanguard investments in December as its first head of marketing for Australia.

In an announcement today, the investment management firm confirmed Eyres was one of three new executives being brought onto its leadership team as part of efforts to strengthen the company’s foothold in Australia’s financial services sector. Eyres is joined by new head of human resources, Maxim Tambling, and relocating Australian, Michael Lovett, who is coming back from the US to lead Vanguard’s superannuation offer from January 2020.

All three report directly to local managing director, Frank Kolimago. In her newly created position, Eyres will lead a Melbourne-based team of marketers as Vanguard splits up its product and marketing into specific functions.

Eyres built her marketing career in the financial services sector. Prior to her two-and-a-half years transforming and building the brand and marketing insights function at Sport Australia (formerly Australian Sports Commission), Eyres spent more than 13 years in marketing at ANZ bank, starting as a brand manager and spending her last six as group GM of marketing globally. Prior to this, Eyres, spent 11 years with BHP Billiton.

In a statement, Kolimago said the trio of executives bring much-desired experience and expertise to Vanguard. The appointments are part of a concerted effort to drive leadership in the local financial services space.

“As the Australian business continues to develop our organisational capabilities in support of investors, financial advisers and institutions, we’re excited to welcome Louise, Maxim and Michael to bring a valuable mix of expertise and experience to Vanguard Australia,” Kolimago said.

Eyres told CMO it was a difficult decision to leave Sport Australia for the new role. She cited Vanguard’s global position, “incredible” market reputation and equally strong, purpose-led culture as key reasons behind her decision to join the business. The company boasts of $6.8 trillion in assets under management, putting it towards the top of the world’s investment firms.

“This role represents a significant opportunity to contribute as part of the Vanguard executive team in Australia as well as contribute as part of the global marketing function,” Eyres commented.

As for her current role, Eyres highlighted the work to rebrand the ACS to Sport Australia, the development of the ‘Move It AUS’ platform, and establishing the Marketing 12 Alliance, a network of marketing leaders from across Australia’s diverse sporting codes, as pinnacle achievements over the last two-and-a-half years.

“These have been some of the most impactful work of my career to date and I am certain this work and program with go from strength to strength in 2020,” she said.

A spokesperson for Sport Australia said interim acting arrangements have been put in place to cover the general manager of marketing, customer insights and analytics position while Sport Australia considers future options.

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