Tony Cunningham dies aged 55

Local stockbroker and investment banker Tony Cunningham has died aged 55.

Mr Cunningham was known as one of Perth’s top deal makers and the co-founder behind broking firm CPS Capital, which he resigned from last year.

He was also the original driving force behind share tipping website HotCopper.

WA Police said the death of the 55-year-old man from City Beach was not considered suspicious and police would prepare a report for the Coroner.

Mr Cunningham founded CPS Capital Group in 2001 and held the position of managing director since its inception until mid-2019. 

Last year he resigned from the firm and joined another boutique firm, Barclay Wells. It was in a bid to slow down towards retirement. 

He came across HotCopper when returning to Australia following studies in the US, and eventually acquired the business and listed it as Hotcopper Australia as the internet started to take off.

Hotcopper was bought by St George Bank in 2000 at the height of the dot.com technology boom. Four years later it was in the hands of a Macquarie Bank fund and Mr Cunningham was offered it back. He purchased it in partnership with Gavin Argyle.

He remained involved until 2016 when Hotcopper Holdings was listed. It became The Market Herald a few years later.

The Perth stockbroker was also a founding director of Complii, a software system to assist broking compliance established in 2010. The business behind that successful software merged in 2020 with listed firm Intiger Group and now trades as Complii FinTech Solutions.

Mr Cunningham also had a keen interest in tennis, having studied at the University of Nebraska on a tennis scholarship, playing at a high-level and coaching the sport.

He was also on the board of Tennis WA and a member of the UWA Tennis Club.

In a Facebook post today, UWA Tennis Club said Mr Cunningham had been a long-standing member of UWA Tennis Club since his student days and was pivotal in the resurrection of the Club in recent times.

"As President of UWA TC between 2001 and 2003, Tony was instrumental in raising the required $1.2 million to fund the club's new clubhouse, car park and six clay courts," the club wrote in the post. 

"Tony had a fine US College tennis pedigree having achieved a Div 1 US college scholarship to the University of Nebraska in his youth and continued to play high-level tennis, including WA State Grade, on his return to Perth.

"He held a lifelong passion for both UWA Tennis Club and Tennis in general and had sat on the Tennis West Board of Directors since 2019.

“As a regular pennants competitor and proud supporter of the Club, we would like to acknowledge that without Tony’s contributions, UWA TC would not be in the position it is now.

"We send heartfelt condolences to Nat, Riley and Lauren and will endeavor to honour Tony’s legacy as the Club continues to move forward."

Lifeline: 13 11 14