New compliance role eases pressure on Finsure advisers

Finsure Group has appointed a dedicated compliance manager in New Zealand to help advisers navigate compliance demands and reduce business stress.
The move comes as mortgage advisers face heightened scrutiny under the Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMCA) and evolving expectations from the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).
Compliance help a priority for advisers
Finsure NZ country head Jenny Campbell said the aggregator had made it a priority to support advisers facing a wave of regulatory changes by appointing Jess Hulena (pictured) as compliance manager.
“For the last 18 months, advisers have been inundated by news around regulatory changes and compliance guidelines, all of which is causing an enormous amount of stress,” Campbell said.
“We believe the recent appointment of our compliance manager Jess Hulena has helped relieve some of that stress for Finsure advisers.”
Online Q&As and practical guidance
Campbell said Hulena’s role includes running live online Q&A sessions where advisers can ask compliance questions in real time and receive immediate, practical support.
“Jess is a highly experienced business, risk and compliance analyst. At Finsure, our service is predicated on two things – understanding and flexibility,” she said.
“This is why we have introduced live online Q&A sessions, hosted by Jess, where advisers can ask her questions directly (wherever they are based) and get immediate answers. Jess also shares common scenarios and experiences to make advisers aware of compliance trends and what to look out for.”
Designed to lighten the load
Hulena said her goal is to simplify compliance and free up advisers to focus on business growth, whether they operate under Finsure’s licence or their own.
“Our compliance framework has been designed to take the burden away from advisers and allow the compliance support team to take care of time-consuming tasks – no matter if they operate under our license or their own,” she said.
“For us, it’s about striking a balance that ensures advisers are across their obligations but without it getting in the way of growing their business.”
The Finsure support initiative follows the transition to full licensing in March 2023, and comes as many advisers prepare for the Financial Advice Provider (FAP) regulatory returns due later this year.