MBS Insurance partner Kris Mason has announced that Chris MacKenzie and Brent McCullough have joined the advice team as authorised representatives. Initially, Chris and Brent joined the practice as para-planners and under the guidance and mentorship of Kris and fellow partner Drew Burden they studied – obtained their qualifications and developed the skills and expertise as professional advice practitioners.
In welcoming Chris MacKenzie and Brent McCullough to the team as authorised representatives, Kris Mason said it was their interpersonal and people skills that first brought them to the attention of MBS just over three years ago and as a result, were invited to join the Sydney headquartered risk specialist advice practice.
Chris and Brent also shared many excellent attributes that Kris felt were essential in order to be successful as an adviser in the modern era – they were young, ambitious, university graduates with young families, eager to take on a new career and challenge and displayed a commitment to ongoing personal and professional growth.
In summary, they were the ideal demographic, attitude and cultural fit for MBS.
MBS opened its doors just over 10 years ago and has grown steadily through a marketplace offer that supports and assists accounting practices to provide a comprehensive risk offering to their clients. Highly regarded as a leading advisory firm by accounting businesses, today they provide nearly 70% of MBS’s business and new business referrals/enquiries.
MBS partners attribute the success and longevity of the business to only employing high-quality people that have a commitment to the highest standards of client service – and it isn’t a process delegated to a recruitment agency.
“We put our staff and advisers first in order to ensure that our clients are first – so no misfits and a cultural fit are our key employment criteria”, said Kris Mason.
“In addition, as partners we are committed to developing our people, mentoring and passing on business and life skills to the next generation – in other words – we lead by example!”
Since joining MBS, both Chris and Brent understudied, mentored and were coached by partners Kris Mason and Drew Burden respectively as part of a comprehensive development pathway that culminated in their appointment as authorised representatives last month
A number of long-term career goals have also been set with equity in the business an aspiration for all parties.
Both Kris Mason and Drew Burden maintain that advice is a people business and it’s not difficult for principals during the course of their P2P advice activities to identify special individuals with potential to succeed as they possess those all important traits and characteristics that are common to the best advisers and practitioners.
This is also a very exciting time for MBS having joined the Bombora Advice network a few months ago with the relationship providing the group access to services and support that will underpin the long-term business growth objectives of the business.
Access to the Bombora national network of industry stalwarts has provided a further dimension in the growth and development of Chris and Brent who have been overwhelmed by the generosity and willingness to share and support them in their career journey as professional advisers.
The proof is in the pudding they say said Bombora Advice Managing Director Wayne Handley. “I’m proud to say that we have a great advice business and by all measures Bombora has and continues to be very successful. The rewards of our collegiate and sharing approach have been immense and multi dimensional and the benefits have exceeded our collective expectations”.
Although the advice industry continues to face and be buffeted by the many regulatory headwinds of change, there is one fundamental principle that has steadfastly stood the test of time – and will continue to do so – and that is this is first and foremost a people business said Kris Mason.