April 03, 2025

Barings appoints new Sales Director, John Nicoll, amid continued expansion into the Australian Wealth Market

Barings, one of the world’s leading investment managers, today announced the appointment of John Nicoll in a newly created Sales Director role, based in Melbourne. The hire comes as the global firm continues to expand into the Wealth Market in Australia.

In this new role, Nicoll is responsible for developing and managing client relationships and raising capital in the Australian Wealth Market. Before joining Barings, Nicoll worked at Zenith Investment Partners for 13 years, most recently as their National Head of Sales. Prior to Zenith, he was responsible for Real Estate funds distribution at Macquarie Group.  

Nicoll’s appointment is the most recent development in Barings’ ongoing efforts to expand its wealth business in Australia, both in terms of personnel and bringing new products to market. Last year, the firm launched two new funds that were tailored to Australian wealth investors – the Barings Australian Private Credit Fund and the Barings Liquidity Investment Strategy (“BLIS”). BLIS is managed by Gryphon Capital Investments, which was acquired by Barings in March 2023, and soon to be fully merged into the Barings Structured Finance Business.

“John joins the business as we continue to expand our local wealth offering, leveraging our long-tenured institutional strategies and the scale of our domestic business, which now exceeds A$18bn1 in Australian sourced Assets,” said Jonathan Baird, Head of Australian Wealth Distribution. “We are delighted to have John join Barings with his level of expertise and calibre. He has a proven track record of building long-standing client relationships and growing businesses.”

Nicoll joins a growing Australian Sales team, with the total number of Barings employees in Australia now over 901, including on-the-ground investment capabilities in Private Credit, Real Estate and Structured Finance and three offices in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

“I am delighted to join Barings during this exciting phase of expansion in Australia and look forward to helping to deliver Barings’ exceptional level of service and innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of clients,” said Nicoll.

1. Source: Barings as at 31 March 2025

About Barings
Barings is a US$421+ billion* global asset management firm that partners with institutional, insurance, and intermediary clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across public and private markets in fixed income, real assets and capital solutions.

*Assets under management as of December 31, 2024

About Gryphon
Gryphon Capital Investment Pty Ltd (“Gryphon”) was acquired by Barings in 2023. Founded in 2014, Gryphon is an Australian, independently-owned, investment manager focused on the structured finance, fixed income market in Australia. Gryphon manages individual segregated accounts on behalf of institutional investors, as well as this ASX listed Trust. Gryphon has a highly experienced and active investment management team with proven track record. Learn more at https://gcapinvest.com/.

Contact
Helen Sanderson
Director, Marketing
E: helen.sanderson@barings.com
Ph: (+61) 477 350 448

Important Information

The document is for informational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument or service in any jurisdiction. The material herein was prepared without any consideration of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of anyone who may receive it. This document is not, and must not be treated as, investment advice, an investment recommendation, investment research, or a recommendation about the suitability or appropriateness of any security, commodity, investment, or particular investment strategy, and must not be construed as a projection or prediction.

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This document is issued in Australia by Barings Australia Pty Ltd.