Adviser network operator Sesame Bankhall Group (SBG) has announced a raft of changes to its senior management.

The firm described the restructure as “a further step in its evolution with new roles and a new appointment to its executive team, as part of the Group’s commitment to invest in its advisory brands in what is widely acknowledged to be a rapidly changing market.”
 
The changes will see Martin Schultheiss move from chief operating officer position to take up a new expanded role as group managing director.

Mr Schultheiss will report into into SBG executive chairman John Cowan.

His wider remit now includes the group’s finance, sales and account management functions, alongside his existing group-wide responsibilities.

Ross Liston will join the SBG as managing director of Bankhall and PMS and reporting into Mr Schultheiss.

He will have responsibility for “driving forward the firm’s relationships with directly authorised firms” across its PMS Mortgage Club and professional support service provider, Bankhall.

Mr Liston has 25 years’ experience in senior financial advice and business development roles, most recently as head of advisory relationships at Standard Life.

His previous roles at Standard Life include head of strategic partnerships and head of advisory distribution (now branded as 1825).

He has experience across pensions, investments, platforms, mortgages and protection, along with expertise in merger, acquisition and integration activity.

SBG has also created a new role – managing director, Sesame – with responsibility for “driving forward” the adviser network and developing support for existing network members.

The firm said an announcement regarding this new appointment “will be made in due course.”
 
Other changes and updates to SBG’s executive team announced today include:

• Julie Sadler, who previously held the dual roles of chief risk officer at SBG and managing director, Bankhall, will become group risk & compliance director.

• Jim Kelly moves from chief finance officer to group finance director.

• HR & learning director, Lisa Winnard, continues as group people & services director, with a wider remit that now includes the group’s operations and adviser helpdesk support, along with marketing and business development.  
 
John Cowan, executive chairman at SBG, said: “Today marks a further step in SBG’s evolution.

“In a rapidly changing market, which is alive with opportunities for advisers, we will ensure that our advisory brands are strongly positioned to assist them.

“To help achieve this we want to maximise the expertise and talent that exists across our group, and these latest changes will enable us to do just that.

“Martin has injected new energy into our plans following his arrival in January, and Ross is another excellent addition to our leadership team.

“Through PMS and Bankhall we already serve 4,000 directly authorised firms, and we have seen steady growth throughout this year as discerning firms seek out quality support that is tailored to their needs.

“We also intend to further bolster our adviser facing business by recruiting a managing director for our Sesame Network.”

Sesame Bankhall has revealed business growth of close to a quarter in its latest set of figures, for the first half of the year.

IFA network Bankhall has signed a deal with Paraplanning specialists The Timebank to launch a support service to help member firms “increase their advice capacity.”

Adviser network Sesame Bankhall Group has appointed Martin Schultheiss to the newly-created role of chief operating officer.