Vanguard, Chester County’s largest employer with over 14,000 “crew members”, is passing the ball for its top HR post to global management executive and former Aussie football boss John James at the end of the year, when Kathleen Gubanich retires.

Gubanich has led Vanguard’s human resources from the senior leadership team since 1995, after first joining the firm in 1986. James will switch positions from leading the Malvern mutual fund giant’s European operations to overseeing employment, employee relations, corporate training, compensation and benefits.

“He is a tenured professional in the investment management industry, and the breadth of his perspective and diversity of experiences in the U.S., Australia and Europe will greatly benefit our company and our clients,” CEO Bill McNabb said.

“At the same time, we are very grateful to Kathy for her leadership and commitment to our clients and crew. Her 30-year career spans the formative years of the firm, along with a prolonged period of extraordinary growth. This growth and success would not be possible without a world-class HR operation.”

The longtime Australian financial services executive ascended to CEO of the AFL’s Port Adelaide team before joining Vanguard in 2008 to lead broker-dealer sales and distribution. He then conducted international strategic reviews and took the reins of Australian operations in 2010, all before his current post in Europe.

For more on Vanguard’s leadership, see previous VISTA Today coverage here.