Avanti chief retiring

Mark Mountcastle, the chief executive officer of Avanti Finance Group, has announced he is retiring after 35 years in the finance industry.

He took on the company’s top role in February 2015 and since then the business has grown and includes a range of brands and offerings, such as Avanti Finance, Branded Financial Services in New Zealand and Australia, Bexhill and Motorcentral.

“One of my personal drivers is to leave a place better than when I found it. I’m confident that I’ve achieved that with Avanti,” says Mountcastle, pictured.

“I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by a fantastic group of people, who’ve believed in the same goals and worked hard to achieve them. 

“But they couldn’t have been achieved without the amazing work everyone at Avanti does every day. We have a dedicated team who focus on delivering great outcomes for our customers and introducers.”

Before joining Avanti he was chief risk officer at Heartland for five years and his other previous jobs have included spells with ASB, Speirs Group and Westpac.

Mountcastle, whose last day at Avanti will be December 15, was also chairman of the Financial Services Federation until October this year.