21 May, 2019

People Focus: Aaron Shields


Aaron Shields

Wealth Management Adviser

Nelson

Aaron Shields works with high net-worth individuals and trusts to manage, grow, and protect their wealth through diversified investments.

Aaron began his career on Westpac’s graduate training programme, gaining diverse financial experience across foreign exchange, institutional and credit trading, and risk management.

He joined Jarden’s institutional trading team in 2015, specialising in New Zealand equity markets for both local and offshore institutional investors. Aaron managed the daily wholesale AUD/NZD forex risk for high volume and high value trades, placing and clearing some of New Zealand’s largest corporate actions and equity transactions.

In 2017, Aaron seized the opportunity to return to his native South Island and build a wealth management practice from Jarden’s Nelson office. As a board member of the Nelson/Tasman Chamber of Commerce, Aaron works to give the region’s businesses a voice and enhance connectivity.

Aaron has a BCom (Finance) from the University of Otago. Outside the office, Aaron relishes hunting, fishing, and sharing his passion with others who are new to the outdoors. He has acted as youth mentor with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of New Zealand and recently instructed on a woman’s only introduction to hunting course.

What compelled you to take up the position at Jarden?

I’ve had an interest in shares and equities from a young age, so joining the Jarden institutional trading team was a dream opportunity. It was also a baptism by fire! Institutional trading is extremely specialised. It’s a high paced, high stress environment, trading big numbers and massive volumes of shares. A university degree gets you through the door, but you cannot learn trading from a textbook. You have to learn by doing and learn by regular failure.

When did you know you’d made the right decision?

Every month on the institutional trading desk, there’s a major closing auction in the last 15 minutes of the day that determines the price of every single stock or share. It’s both extremely exciting and extremely terrifying - it’s our job to be market makers and if you miss something, the consequences can be huge.

The end of every auction is such an incredible adrenaline rush and there are few jobs in New Zealand where I could get that experience in the beating heart of a public market. Learning in that environment has set me up for the rest of my career and I will be forever grateful for that experience.

How does your time on the trading floor inform your work as a wealth management adviser?

Understanding why things happen the way they do is invaluable, and you can only learn that by being on the floor and riding the rollercoaster of the markets on the daily.

I absolutely loved trading, but now that I’m in a private client environment the rewards are much greater, because you make a real difference to people’s lives. It takes a monumental leap of trust for someone to hand over every dollar they’ve ever saved. They need to have confidence in you, and to know that you’re going to be around for a long time. It’s a huge responsibility, but when you see clients overcome their fear and you deliver great results, the rewards are unreal and the relationships developed quite special.

How did the Nelson move come about?

Trading is a demanding job, and you really need a vice to switch off and get away. I’m an outdoorsy kind of guy, so when I was based in Auckland, I was always flying south for the weekend to go hunting and fishing.

After two years with the institutional trading team, I put out some feelers for roles outside of Auckland. It took a few months, but the firm really helped facilitate the move. To me, this is more than a job - I’m building a life here, creating deep networks I can rely on and trust. I can go hunting on the weekend, or go fishing before work and still be at my desk by 8.30am. It’s a unique opportunity and I feel very fortunate to call the South Island home while working in the finance industry.

Tell us something that could only happen at Jarden?

On my first week in Nelson, I was asked if I wanted to add anything personal to the office, so I brought in a taxidermied bull tahr that I hunted in the Landsborough Valley near Haast. It took me six days to track him down. My love of hunting is one of the reasons I moved to Nelson so it’s pretty special and unexpected to be able to hang your pride and joy in the office.

What qualities have helped you succeed at Jarden?

A long-term view and attention to detail. At Jarden, opportunities abound, and every role is a stepping stone to the next thing. Jarden is expanding and with that comes change for its employees and clients that can only help them grow.

Our business is all about calculated risks, and while I have a great balance of autonomy in the way I drive my business, what connects us all is one very simple mission: to get the best outcome for the client. If you have an idea for a business line that will help us achieve that collective goal, you’re encouraged to go for it.  Most importantly if you love financial markets, Jarden is a fantastic place to work.

People focus

Biddy Wilson FillWzEwNDAsNzA0XQ v3

People Focus: Biddy Wilson

24 January, 2022

Biddy is the manager of the cash team and oversees tasks related to firm and client funds. Biddy joined Jarden after graduating from university and has previously held other roles in the cash team such as New Zealand dollar payments, term deposit set ups and foreign currency payments.

Henry Chung v5

People Focus: Henry Chung

03 September, 2021

Henry Chung specialises in all capital market transactions, including securities offerings and takeovers. Henry has advised on the IPOs of Mighty River Power, Synlait Milk, Genesis Energy, EROAD, Scales Corporation, NZ King Salmon, AFT Pharmaceuticals, and My Food Bag.

John Carran

People Focus: John Carran

29 July, 2021

Drawing on his understanding of economics and leading investment strategies, John develops practical investment ideas for client portfolios. He strives to ensure his investment insights and solutions are delivered in an accessible way.