Iress expands Wealth team with Chief Customer Officer and Chief Operating Officer

Iress today announced that it has made two new appointments to its Wealth leadership team. Kelli Willmer has been appointed Chief Customer Officer – Wealth ANZ and Amara Haqqani has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer – Wealth ANZ.

In the newly created role of Chief Customer Officer (CCO), Willmer will be responsible for driving Iress’ focus on improved client engagement, from account management and business development, to client solutions and product support. In her role as Chief Operating Officer (COO), Haqqani will be accountable for delivering strategic, operational and financial outcomes for Iress’ Wealth business, driving a culture of performance excellence and service excellence for clients.

Willmer has over 20 years’ experience in the banking, financial services, wealth and technology industries. She joined Iress in 2015, where she led Iress’ IFA client account management team, before spending time as Head of Commercial Office and Head of Transformation Office. Prior to joining Iress, Willmer held leadership roles at BT Financial Group, as well as within a number of advice practices.

Haqqani has over 20 years’ experience in financial services product and strategy for wealth management, covering investment management, advice and superannuation in Australia and globally. Prior to joining Iress, Haqqani was the Chief Client Strategy Officer for Bennelong Funds Management, where she oversaw client strategy, product development and management, regulatory affairs and corporate sustainability.

These appointments follow an extensive internal and external candidate search process led by Harry Mitchell, who was appointed to the role of CEO, Wealth Management, in April 2023.

Mitchell said: “I’m delighted to welcome Kelli and Amara to the Wealth Management leadership team. Customer centricity is an absolute priority for Iress and the CCO and COO roles are critical in enabling us to get closer to our clients and drive higher performance as we move Iress forward on its next growth trajectory.

“Kelli and Amara bring complementary skill sets and impressive experience to the Wealth team, with a combination of deep internal understanding of Iress and its clients, and extensive knowledge of the broader industry’s policy environment and priorities. Their values-based leadership styles and strong track records of delivering consistent commercial and strategic outcomes will be a great asset to Iress as we drive improved value for our Wealth clients now and into the future.”