JANA expands Not-For-Profit team with new senior hire, Kevin Fernando

JANA has announced the appointment of Kevin Fernando as the latest addition to its not-for-profit (NFP) division, as Client Development Director for NFP.

Mr Fernando has extensive experience working in the NFP sector, most recently as the Founder and Managing Director of Mercury Associates, an independent NFP investment consultancy. In this role, Mr Fernando provided governance and operational oversight support, alongside in-house technical expertise to assist not-for-profit boards and Investment Committees engage with their investment managers.

As Client Development Director for NFP, Mr Fernando will support JANA in continuing to develop their NFP offering to meet increasing demand and grow their already established market share. JANA is one of Australia’s largest investment consultancies by FUM, and NFP is one of the JANA’s fastest-growing client groups, comprising close to half of clients by number.

Speaking on his appointment, Co-Head of NFP Clients, Michael Maher, said, “Kevin has a proven track record in supporting fundraising organisations to meet their long-term growth objectives and achieve their purpose. His expertise on NFP governance and operations will provide invaluable insight for clients as they look to navigate the unique challenges facing this sector at this time.”

Prior to starting Mercury Associates, he worked across two of the Big Four, as a Private Client Manager for NAB (2017) and Private Banking Associate at ANZ (2018-2019).

Mr Fernando said, “I was drawn to JANA because of its core purpose that together, we have the power to make a real difference. It’s incredibly important to me that I belong to an organisation that is committed to giving back and working towards a better, more sustainable future

“The challenges facing the NFP sector are complex and fast-changing. I look forward to sharing my expertise and applying my insights to support JANA’s NFP clients to manage interest in and pressure for responsible investing, rising costs of investment management, cash flow and liquidity issues, and the need to preserve cash flow in ‘down’ markets.”

Recent JANA client wins in the NFP space include TUH Health Fund, Seventh Day Adventist and Foundation North, New Zealand’s largest philanthropic trust.

Mr Fernando is a qualified engineer, with a Bachelor in Engineering from Penn State University (US) and Monash University. He has a Master’s Degree in Finance from the William E. Simon School of Business. Alongside founding his own consultancy dedicated to the NFP sector, Mr Fernando is a long-term volunteer of the Headspace Youth Career mentoring program.