About us
Who we are
Lonsec is a pivotal force within Australia’s financial advice and investment industry, encompassing Lonsec Research, SuperRatings, and iRate®, which are all market leaders in their respective areas.
Our position in the industry enables us to be a unique conduit, playing a fundamental role in building investment capabilities for financial advisers, licensees, fund managers and superannuation funds to deliver practical, actionable insights that significantly enhance the value of their investment and advice solutions.
Partnering with Lonsec means being backed by the enduring strength of the Lonsec. Founded in Australia in 1994, and with over a three-decade legacy of profitability and sustainability, we are committed to supporting our clients with the tools, data and insights to make better investment decisions for decades to come.
Our vision and purpose is to be the pre-eminent research and ratings partner in Australia by helping clients and investors make better decisions.
As of 1 August 2024, Lonsec is a fully owned entity of Generation Development Group (ASX: GDG).
Our Values
Independent thinking
We never compromise on quality or objectiveness to deliver trusted, high conviction insights.
Integrity
We stand behind our promises and always do the right thing by our people and clients.
Client focus
Our culture puts the client at the core and focuses on helping them achieve their goals.
Innovation
We anticipate market needs and opportunities and develop contemporary solutions.
Collaboration
We build great relationships and work in partnership with our clients and colleagues.
Our Awards
We are honoured to have been awarded Best Research House in the 2024 Adviser Ratings Australian Financial Advice Landscape Report. This is the third year in a row Lonsec has been recognised by Australian financial advisers with this award.
We are also the winner of the 2024 Best Investment Research Firm award in the inaugural Australian Wealth Management Awards.
Our clients and end investors are at the heart of what we do at Lonsec and while we have grown and our product offering has evolved over the past 30 years, we remain committed to helping all Australians make better financial decisions.
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Our Leadership Team
Lorraine Robinson
Chief Executive Officer, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Lorraine was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Lonsec Research and Ratings in July 2025.
Previously, Lorraine joined Lonsec in December 2019 as Executive Director of Lonsec Research. She has extensive experience in financial markets, across investment research, funds management and investor relations.
Before her career at Lonsec, Lorraine worked at Evans & Partners, where she was the Chief Operating Officer of the Corporate and Institutional business. Her 10-year tenure included time as Head of Research and as a Senior Investment Analyst.
Prior to that, she developed her own investor relations and consulting practice, gaining experience across a number of different industries including financial services, media and communications and technology. Lorraine was also a successful Research Analyst at JBWere and gained experience in both funds management and investment banking at Macquarie Bank.
Peter Green
Director of Research, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Peter joined Lonsec in 2008 and as Director of Research, leads the Managed Funds Research team across all sectors and asset classes, as well as overseeing Direct Equities team. Peter has held a number of roles within Lonsec, having developed and managed Lonsec’s ASX 200 research, and been responsible for all managed funds equities research across a range of sectors with a primary focus on the Australian equities market. He also has experience in the direct property sector.
Before his career at Lonsec Research, Peter worked as a Development Analyst/Senior Property Accountant for an Australian REIT, where his main role was providing investment analysis and budgeting/forecasting capabilities to the Australian retail property team. He originally worked for Andersen/Ernst & Young as an external audit senior as well as spending two years in the United Kingdom in various accounting roles.
Kevin Brennan
Chief Operating Officer, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Kevin was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Lonsec Research and Ratings in July 2025.
Previously, Kevin joined Lonsec in September 2021 as Chief Information Officer and led the technology and delivery function for Lonsec. Kevin is an accomplished technology executive with over 20 years financial services technology experience and a proven track record of leading strategic transformation in complex, challenging environments.
Prior to joining Lonsec, Kevin was the Head of Technology for Advice, Investments and Private Wealth for BT Financial Group. Before that role, Kevin led the Equities technology team for Westpac’s institutional bank.
Kevin is passionate about building collaborative technology teams with strong commercial acumen and business alignment.
Kirby Rappell
Director of SuperRatings
As Director of SuperRatings, Kirby is responsible for setting SuperRatings strategy and ensuring we continue to provide the best possible Ratings, Research, Consulting and insights to our clients. He has worked to build a strong relationship with funds, service providers and key industry stakeholders to ensure we have a strong understanding of the market, and communicating back to the market where opportunities for uplift in value for super fund members exist. Kirby has been with SuperRatings since 2008. During his time at SuperRatings, Kirby has work as a Quantitative Analyst before becoming responsible for our Research team in 2011. Kirby has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney (Finance and Accounting) and is a CFA Charterholder.
Sebastian Di Bella
Chief Technology Officer, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Melanie McDermott
Head of People and Culture, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Felicity Nicholson
Head of Marketing, Lonsec Research and Ratings
Felicity is an accomplished marketing professional with over 25 years of experience in global funds management. She has held senior executive roles at NAB/MLC, Franklin Templeton, and Hastings Funds Management. Throughout her career, Felicity has led strategic marketing initiatives that have significantly enhanced brand visibility and driven business growth.
With a proven track record of delivering impactful campaigns aligned with business objectives, Felicity combines deep industry knowledge with strong leadership. Her contributions to the financial services marketing sector have earned her recognition and awards, underscoring her reputation as a trusted and innovative leader.
Natasha Gour
Head of Finance, Lonsec Research and Ratings
GDG Board Members
As a fully owned entity of Generation Development Group (ASX:GDG), the Lonsec leadership team reports into the GDG board of directors, seen below:
Rob Coombe
Executive Chairman
Rob was appointed Chairman of Generation Development Group since 18 July 2017 and transitioned to the role of Executive Chairman on 1 January 2025.
Rob is presently Non-Executive Chairman of Colonial First State, a leading Australian superannuation and wealth management business owned by KKR and CBA. He also chairs Tibra Capital, a privately owned global multi-strategy hedge fund business, and Expert360, Australia’s leading online talent marketplace. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of Five V Capital, a leading Australian private equity manager focused on investing in established growth companies across a range of industries.
On top of Rob’s commercial interests, he is Chair of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF).
Between 2013 and 2019, Rob was CEO (2013-2017) then Chairman of Craveable Brands, the largest Australian owned Quick Service Restaurant business. Rob’s tenure with this business was during its ownership by Archer Capital and culminated in a successful exit to PAG in August 2019.
Before joining Craveable Brands, Rob was responsible for all of Westpac’s Australian Retail, Business and Agri banking operations. Prior to this role, Rob spent six years as the CEO of BT Financial Group, responsible for all of Westpac’s funds management, financial planning, insurance, private banking, broking, platform and superannuation businesses.
Rob has 40 years’ corporate experience in Australia and Asia, primarily in financial services. He has had extensive experience on the Boards of listed and private companies both domestically and internationally.
In 2011 Rob was awarded the prestigious UTS Alumni of the Year for Excellence and in 2021 he was appointed as a Fellow of the university. Both awards were in recognition of his achievements in the business community and social sector.
Bill Bessemer
Non-Executive Director
Bill initially joined Austock in 1995 and became chairman of the Group in 1999 until 2009. Following a brief retirement Bill resumed as a director of Austock in February 2012 and became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in May 2012. He stepped down as CEO in November 2017. Bill has over 40 years’ experience in banking and finance, specifically in the areas of debt and equity structuring, mergers and acquisitions and business recoveries. He was a shareholder and director of a boutique corporate advisory business involved in all areas of investment banking. He also held several senior management roles and directorships with companies owned by the ANZ Banking Group.
Giselle Collins
Independent Non-Executive Director, Lead Independent Director
Giselle was appointed a director of Generation Development Group in November 2021, having served previously on the Generation Life Board since 2018. She is Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee,
She is currently a non-executive Chairman of Hotel Property Investments (ASX:HPI) and a non-executive director of Cooper Energy (ASX:COE).
Giselle has a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments from the Securities Institute. She is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Member of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Christine Christian
Independent Non-Executive Director
Christine was appointed a director of Generation Development Group on 8 October 2024. She is Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee and a member of the Audit Committee.
Christine is an independent chair of SelfWealth Ltd (ASX:SWF), Auctus Investment Group Ltd (ASX:AVC) and Tanarra Credit Partners and currently holds non-executive director roles with Arcus Partners and MaxCap Group. She is President of the State Library of Victoria and Council member of La Trobe University. Previously, she has held a range of senior executive roles with Dun & Bradstreet. In addition, Christine was a non-executive director of Generation Development Group’s wholly owned subsidiary, Lonsec Holdings Pty Ltd, from January 2016 until February 2024.
She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and past president of Chief Executive Women. In 2020, she was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of her distinguished service to the financial and investment sectors, to women in business and through support for emerging entrepreneurs.
Peter Smith
Executive Director
Peter was appointed as Executive Director of Generation Development Group in June 2025.
Peter is a business leader with 30 years experience at a Senior Executive, Board, and Business Owner level and has operated in the Wealth Management segment over this whole period.
Peter has experience in international and domestic markets, beginning his career in Brisbane then working in London and Sydney. This experience spans institutional investment management and financial planning. Roles have included end-to-end leadership of large Wealth Management businesses operating in complex and highly competitive markets, and over the last decade, his focus has been on Board and Principal investor roles in the financial services SME segment.
Peter began his career with Macquarie Bank in their Investment Management business. He then joined NAB to run the MLC business in Queensland, before transferring to London for 4 years, where he was the General Manager of the MLC business in the UK, spanning funds management, financial planning, and business consulting. On returning from London to Sydney, Peter joined the NAB Global Asset Management business, a business that went on to manage over $150Bn in assets.
In the Wealth Advice segment, he is a past CEO of Godfrey Pembroke, one of Australia’s largest Private Wealth firms, and then he went on to lead NAB’s Australian advice businesses spanning Godfrey Pembroke, Garvan Financial Planning, MLC Financial Planning, Apogee FP, and Meritum.
Peter is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Evidentia Group.
Peter has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland, a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investments from FINSIA, and a Diploma in Financial Services. He has also completed the Executive Program at Stanford Business School in the USA.