CHICAGO and SYDNEY, Oct. 6
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Morningstar, Inc. (Nasdaq: MORN), a
leading provider of independent investment research, today
announced that it has appointed Anthony
Serhan as chief executive officer of Morningstar Australasia
Pty Ltd.
Serhan was previously managing director of Ibbotson Associates
Australia, a Morningstar company, where he was responsible for
leading the business, developing business strategy, and overseeing
its implementation. Before that, he was head of adviser and
research for Morningstar Australasia, responsible for developing
and managing fund research processes, adviser products, and
consulting services. He joined Morningstar in 2003 and has more
than 20 years' financial services experience in both the
institutional and retail environments.
Serhan will remain a director of Ibbotson Associates Australia,
which will now be led by Daniel
Needham, the firm's longstanding chief investment
officer.
"Anthony was a great choice to lead our Australian and
New Zealand business," said Bevin
Desmond, president of international operations and global human
resources for Morningstar, Inc. "His knowledge of the local market,
demonstrated leadership skills, and most importantly clear
understanding of Morningstar's mission of helping investors achieve
their goals made him the standout candidate."
"Our Australasian business has come a long way over the past
eight years, and I'm delighted to be taking on the CEO role at this
time in our growth," Anthony Serhan
said. "We now publish analyst research on 275 Australian and
New Zealand listed companies and
more than 4,000 managed funds. Our website is a leading destination
for retail investors. And we continue to work towards extending our
coverage of investment types, such as our new analyst research on
exchange-traded funds.
"While many people are familiar with individual parts of
Morningstar, the opportunity for our business is to combine these
components into an even stronger solution for our clients. I look
forward to leading our staff in their continuing efforts to meet
the many and varied needs of our individual, adviser, and
institutional clients," Serhan said.
Morningstar established its business in Australia and New
Zealand in 1999, and subsequently acquired Aspect Huntley,
Aegis Equities Research, and Intech (now Ibbotson Associates). The
firm's flagship products include the Morningstar.com.au website for
retail investors; Morningstar Adviser Workstation™, a complete
practice and portfolio management platform for financial advisers;
Morningstar Direct™, a web-based global research platform that
connects institutional investment professionals directly to
Morningstar's full universe of investment research and data; and
Morningstar Adviser Research Centre. The company also publishes
trade magazines and an investor newsletter. The firm's consulting
arm, Ibbotson Associates Australia, is a provider of asset
allocation, manager selection, and portfolio construction services
to superannuation funds, institutions, and financial planners.
About Morningstar Australasia and Morningstar, Inc.
Morningstar Australasia is a subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc., a
leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers
an extensive line of Internet, software, and print-based products
and services for individuals, financial advisers, and
institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately
360,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and
similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more
than 4 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities,
and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury
markets. The company has operations in 21 countries.
©2010 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved.
MORN-C
Media Contact:
Phillip Gray, +61 2 9276 4456 or
phillip.gray@morningstar.com
SOURCE Morningstar, Inc.
Copyright t. 6 PR Newswire