ROPAN was established in 2001 by Rodney Gilham and Jason Panozzo-Tilé, who had worked together as financial advisers at ANZ and shared a belief that clients deserved financial advice that was personal, considered and tailored to their individual circumstances.
A lot has happened since then.
We began from a single unit at our Breed Street premises in Traralgon — an address that remains our home today. Over the years, the business has grown considerably gradually filling that building, but also our team has expanded and today ROPAN supports clients across regional Victoria, Melbourne, interstate and beyond.
The financial advice profession has changed enormously too. We have worked through major market events, from the aftermath of September 11 and the Global Financial Crisis to COVID-19 and the rapid market movements that followed. Regulation, technology and the way financial advice is delivered have all evolved significantly.
But perhaps the most rewarding measure of 25 years isn’t what has changed. It’s the relationships that have endured.
Some of our clients have been with ROPAN since our earliest days. We’ve had the privilege of seeing people progress from building wealth and growing businesses through to retirement, succession and helping the next generation. In some cases, we now work with multiple generations of the same family.
Those relationships have always been at the heart of ROPAN. Financial advice is about far more than numbers or investments; it’s about understanding what people are working towards and helping them make informed decisions as their circumstances change. That philosophy remains as important to us today as it was in 2001.
Twenty-five years has also given us the opportunity to help build careers. People have joined ROPAN early in their working lives, developed their skills and gone on to build successful careers in financial services. Others, including Scott Henning and Nick Cullis, have progressed within ROPAN into partnership positions — helping build the next generation of the business.
And that makes this anniversary as much about the future as the past.
With an expanded team, greater expertise across the group, recently renovated Traralgon offices and an increasingly strong presence across regional Victoria, we’re excited about what the next chapter holds.
Through all that growth, one thing won’t change: our commitment to looking after our clients, earning their trust and providing clear, considered advice for the years ahead.
To everyone who has been part of the ROPAN story — our clients, team members, families, professional partners and friends — thank you. Twenty-five years is a milestone we’re incredibly proud of, and we’re looking forward to what comes next.
