AJ Bell today announces that Billy Mackay has been appointed managing director of AJ Bell Investcentre, its award-winning investment platform for financial advisers.
Billy has been marketing director of AJ Bell Investcentre for 13 years, during which time the platform has grown rapidly with assets under administration now standing at £44.2 billion. This growth has been fuelled by AJ Bell Investcentre’s reputation for high quality service to advisers, a wide choice of wrappers, investment options, and very competitive charges. In his new role, Billy will take on responsibility for the platform’s development roadmap, distribution and adviser service proposition, in addition to his existing marketing responsibilities.
Billy will take over from the current managing director of AJ Bell Investcentre, Fergus Lyons on 1 October 2021. Fergus will then move into an advisory role to oversee and support the development of Touch by AJ Bell and its future growth in the adviser market.
Touch by AJ Bell will be a simplified platform proposition for financial advisers delivered to clients via a mobile and tablet app. It will sit alongside and complement AJ Bell Investcentre and the platforms will provide a compelling offering for a wide range of client scenarios across all ages, portfolio sizes and investment needs. The development of Touch by AJ Bell will continue to be led by Dave Tanner as managing director.
Andy Bell, chief executive of AJ Bell, comments:
“Billy has been an integral part of AJ Bell Investcentre’s growth over the past 13 years and will be familiar to many adviser firms. This appointment is part of a long-planned succession strategy and is a natural step for Billy and the business.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Fergus for the huge contribution he has made to the growth of AJ Bell over the past 21 years and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with him on the launch and development of Touch by AJ Bell.”
Billy Mackay, marketing director of AJ Bell Investcentre, comments:
“It is a huge honour for me to be taking on the managing director role of AJ Bell Investcentre. I’ve been very fortunate to work closely with Fergus and Andy over the last 13 years. Everyone at AJ Bell Investcentre has worked tirelessly to create a platform that never stands still, driving growth with strong momentum in terms of users and asset flows. I’m looking forward to leading the team in the next phase of this journey.”