Automated advice firm Ignition Wealth has officially appointed Tom Pockett to its advisory board, following the appointment of investment banker Peter Meurer as chairman.

Currently, Pockett serves as a non-executive director of both Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG) and Stockland Group.

Ignition Wealth chief executive, Mark Fordree said Pockett’s appointment will add strong operational and strategic experience to the team.

“The outstanding quality of the financial industry leaders joining the Ignition Wealth team is a reflection of the excellence of the product we are bringing to the market,” Fordree said.

Pockett’s previous roles saw him as the finance director for Woolworths Limited, as well as deputy chief financial officer at the Commonwealth Bank, in addition to various senior finance positions at Lend Lease Corporation Limited.

Pockett’s appointment comes on the back of Ignition Wealth unveiling its robo-advice platform, which can be accessed across mobile, tablet and online channels.

The platform allows customers to automatically implement their recommended portfolios and also provides an avenue to access traditional face-to-face advice.

The company already has long-term relationships with a number of large super funds, which white-label the same technology to produce financial calculators, illustrators and advice tools.

Fordree said that Ignition Wealth’s platform will help lower barriers to accessing financial advice, with a key focus over the next 12 to 18 months being that of consolidating the company’s brand.

“Technology, like [that provided by] Ignition Wealth, is going to allow people with even very low balances of $5,000 or $10,000 to use self-assessment tools … to get access to a portfolio which manages their life goals and their risk profiles,” he said.

“Our key priorities are to build the Ignition Wealth brand with the key attributes of trust, smart technology, value and service.”