Zenith bulks up portfolio management team

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

16 June 2026

Research and ratings house, Zenith Investment Partners has beefed up its portfolio management capability with the appointment of former Yarra Capital Management senior portfolio manager, Charl Marais.

Zenith announced Marais’ appointment as a senior portfolio manager at the same time as announcing that Dan Cave will be returning to the business from Frontier Advisors to take on the newly-created role of deputy head of income research.

Marais brings more than 20 years’ experience and was most recently a senior portfolio manager at Yarra Capital Management prior to which he was with Nikko Asset Management.

Marais will report to Zenith head of portfolio solutions, Andrew Yap, who said the appointment reflects growing demand for the company’s portfolio management capabilities.

His experience demonstrates exactly the kind of rigorous, performance-focused approach our growing client base expects. We’re looking forward to the expanded capacity his appointment will bring to the team.”

Cave rejoins Zenith having originally entered the business in 2017 as a senior investment analyst, before departing in 2023.

He returns to Zenith from Frontier Advisors, where he spent three years as a senior investment consultant on the real assets team conducting manager research and advising institutional clients on private infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Economics and Finance from RMIT University.

In his new role, he will be based in Melbourne and report to head of income research and head of sustainability, Dugald Higgins. Higgins welcomed Cave’s return to the business.

“Dan has deep expertise in income research and a thorough understanding of how Zenith operates – he knows our standards, our methodology and our clients,” Higgins says.

“He returns with a broader perspective on the institutional market and a sharper focus on private markets, which adds a valuable dimension to our income research capability. This is a newly created role and Dan will play a central part in continuing to strengthen our offering.”