Market update · Private Capital

Distribution hiring: what fund managers are asking for now

Wholesale and adviser distribution demand is strong in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Firms want proven capital raisers, candidates want answers before they move, and time to hire has stretched. A note on the market as we see it.

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A distribution professional on a video call in a Sydney office

Private credit, real estate and private equity managers are all hiring into the adviser, private wealth and family office channels, from business development associates in Brisbane to heads of distribution in Sydney. ETF and listed product issuers are hiring into brokers and platforms. The briefs ask for networks, relationships and a record of bringing money in. Few are willing to take a punt on someone without them.

Candidates are the constraint. After a year of stress in parts of private credit, people in good seats are cautious, want more answers before they move and are measuring the proposition hard: the asset class, the track record, the remuneration and who they will report to. Time to hire has stretched, and a role that is poorly sold to the market does not fill.

Two things follow. Firms hiring well have a compelling proposition and can show it: performance, the fund’s standing with research houses, and pay that has been benchmarked. And the thin layer in the middle, senior BDM to head of distribution, will not be filled from junior sales alone. It will be filled from adjacent markets, and professional services BD is the nearest one.

If you are hiring, we can benchmark the role before you brief it and bring a shortlist from both markets. If you are in distribution and thinking about a move, register confidentially and we will tell you what the market pays before anyone else does.

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