John Abernethy BCom (Econ) LLB – Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer
As Clime’s Chief Investment Officer, John Abernethy has overall responsibility for funds management. John has over 25 years experience in funds management and corporate advisory services. Prior to establishing Clime, John’s roles included ten years at NRMA Investments as the head of equities, where he successfully managed investment portfolios totalling $2 billion. John founded Clime (formerly Loftus Capital Partners) in 1996. Through Loftus Capital partners, he advised high net wealth individuals on their investments and managed portfolios on their behalf.
Richard Proctor BA (Hons) ACA - Chief Operating Officer
Richard has overall responsibility for the operational aspects of Clime and is the group Finance Director. Richard has expertise in managing all operational functions of a business and in ensuring that client requirements are met. He has extensive experience in managing operational teams in large international companies. Richard is an operations and finance executive with over 25 years experience and has held senior roles with Readers Digest, Time Warner, Barton Shipping, Heinz Food and Rothmans Tobacco in Australia and Europe.
Paul Zwi BA (Econ & Hist) LLB – Chairman, Investment Committee
Paul Zwi has more than 20 years varied experience in the investment and financial services industry, with the focus having been on equity research and wealth management opportunities for high net worth clients.
He joined Clime in early 2011 and works closely with CIO John Abernethy. Paul is chairman of the Clime Investment Committee and is involved in selecting stocks, in portfolio construction and in client portfolio reviews.
Prior to Clime, Paul’s most recent position was with Centric Wealth, where he spent 5 years as Head of Equity Research and Senior Research Analyst. Prior to Centric, Paul was head of BT’s Private Client business for 5 years, being responsible for a team of Portfolio Managers managing discretionary portfolios of $1.5 billion.
Paul has a BA majoring in Economic History and an LLB (Wits, SA).
Darren Katz BCom (Econ) CFA – Head of Distribution
Darren is responsible for business development and client service at Clime. He is an investments specialist with a financial markets career spanning 15 years. Prior to joining Clime, Darren worked with the offshore Fund Manager Infiniti Capital to assist in the set up of their Australian Funds Management operations. He spent 6 years in an executive role with HFA Asset Management in Sydney where he had investment, distribution and operational responsibilities. Darren has held senior trading positions with Nedcor Investment Bank in South Africa and Macquarie Bank in Australia, managing portfolios in excess of US$12bn.
Rob Hardy BA (Hons) Economics – Head of Marketing
Rob has been a leading member within the marketing industry for more than 20 years, running direct marketing companies all over the world. He has set up and run businesses in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia and of course, Australia. Rob has sat on the board of the Australian Direct Marketing Association, and was named Australian Direct Marketer of the Year in 2004. Rob previously was Managing Director of Time Life Europe/Asia Pacific and has provided marketing consulting services to many household name Australian companies.
