One of the biggest business development roles in the Australian funds management industry has gone to a Perennial Investment Partners executive.

Matthew Harrison, who is now on ‘gardening leave’ from Perennial where he was national sales and research manager, will become head of investment sales for Australia’s largest wealth manager, Colonial First State, on August 17.

Harrison will be responsible for the management of  the CFS retail investment sales team including researcher relationships, strategic accounts, and alliances, reporting directly to head of distribution Paul Barrett. He replaces Alex Donald who left to join Ironbark Asset Management, the retail distribution business recently formed by 14 former Deutsche Asset Management employees.

The head of alliances role, responsible for selling CFS-affiliated managers from Acadian to RealIndex, is currently vacant although Barrett said yesterday an offer had been made.

Barrett said he had been impressed by what Harrison had achieved for Perennial.

“He played a key role in Perennial’s emergence in the retail market including strong platform representation, fund ratings, and achieving Fund Manager of the Year,” Barrett said.

Harrison has also held senior sales and management roles at IOOF, CBA, and ING. He will be the most senior sales-focussed professional at CFS, alongside head of platform sales Aubrey Roga.

The head of retail funds management at Perennial, Brian Thomas, said he was sorry to see Harrison go.

“He contributed a lot to Perennial and we wish him all the best in his new role. We are currently undertaking a search for someone to replace Matt, specifically focussing on the researcher relationships and we’re looking internally and externally.”

Meanwhile, I&T News got the story of a sales appointment slightly wrong last week. Some early morning readers would have read that former UBS GAM chief, Colin Woods, was to head sales at NabInvest. Woods will in fact be in sales for MLC.