Biography
David Long joined NZ Funds in 2000, initially as the IT manager and later with a wider operational role. In this role, he has been involved with projects as diverse as implementing client reporting, registry upgrades, analysing and designing solutions for the newly proposed PIE tax regime, and designing and driving the implementation of a centralised Client Relationship/Financial Modelling/Plan Writer system for a nation-wide chain of advisers.

Before joining NZ Funds, David was General Manager for a Systems Integrator providing IT solutions and support to blue-chip corporates around Auckland. Before that he worked for a major New Zealand corporate helping to implementing software and network systems after four years at Massey University doing a BTech.

Approach
Before joining NZ Funds, I worked for a Systems Integrator for 11 years initially as a Systems Engineer and later as General Manager. This experience was invaluable in providing an insight into a wide variety of businesses and the way they were able to find solutions through technology as well as the challenges of running a small-medium size organisation on a day to day basis.

Despite having an IT background, I do not think that technology is always the best way to solve problems.  This is an industry driven by people and the interactions between them. Technology is merely an enabler to allow us to achieve the outcomes we want.

The exciting thing we are seeing now is a greater recognition of people as emotional and sometimes illogical human beings, rather than the rather stoic view of the ‘rational investor’ expounded previously by our industry.  By accepting this and ensuring that everything from the advice process through to the way that we manage money takes this into account, I believe we will provide a much better outcome for our clients in a way that is significantly less stressful for them over their investment lifetime.