Spotlight on Retirement

Angela Hartl is a Mercer Principal and qualified Actuary based in Sydney. Alongside her defined benefit actuarial work, she specialises in helping trustees improve member outcomes in retirement phase. Angela has more than 25 years of experience working at Mercer in an international career spanning both the United Kingdom and Australia. She has co-authored a number of papers for Mercer on Retirement Strategies.

Anne is responsible for championing financial advice, financial literacy and education across ART, seeking to influence and shape the advice industry and ensure financial advice is accessible for all members.

Anne has been leading the advice business, first at Sunsuper and now ART since 2015 and has sat on multiple boards and external advisory committees throughout her 25-year career. Anne has worked in senior roles at leading financial institutions including the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) ING Australia and Bankers Trust.

Anne is also a non-executive director on the board of Teachers Union Health. She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an Advanced Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning) and a Bachelor of Arts.

Csaba is the Chief Executive Officer of Industry Fund Services. Prior to his appointment as CEO, he was the Executive Manager of Legal, Risk & Compliance and Company Secretary.

Csaba has worked in the financial services industry for 20 years, with roles prior to joining IFS at ANZ, AMP and AXA. He has worked across a diverse range of areas including legal, risk compliance, operations, product development, investment management, and has led multiple large-scale regulatory change projects.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Business (Finance), MBA and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He is a member of FPA Australia, the Legal Institute of Victoria and the Law Council of Australia. He also sits on various industry policy and governance committees with Industry Super Australia and the AIST.

Csaba joined IFS in 2015 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2022.

Darragh Monaghan joined Hannover Re in 2020, bringing over a decade of industry experience across various jurisdictions.

As a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, he specialises in life (re)insurance, superannuation, investment consulting and actuarial consulting.

Currently serving as the Head of Client Solutions, he oversees Hannover Re’s key engagements in Australia and New Zealand.

Deborah is responsible for Rest’s member experience across all touchpoints and channels. Including the fund’s approach to employer connections, advice and education, member onboarding and retention.

This includes leadership of Rest’s brand, marketing and member communications, employer servicing, business development, product, digital and disclosure functions.

Deborah joined Rest in 2015 as the National Manager, Advice and subsequently served as the Head of Advice and Education from March 2017. In May 2018, she was appointed as interim General Manager Brand, Marketing and Communications.

Deborah has extensive experience working with board, executive and professional teams on customer experience strategies in the financial services and superannuation industries. Prior to working at Rest, she worked at BT Financial Group and AMP Corporate Super, and was a Director of her own consultancy business from 2012 to 2017.

Deborah holds a Bachelor of Economics and Accounting from Macquarie University.

Fiona Galbraith is Director, Policy at ASFA and a lawyer with over 30 years’ experience of advising on policy, governance, risk and regulatory compliance within superannuation.

Fiona has held a variety of senior management roles within the private sector, heading regulatory compliance; legal; audit and risk; and technical advice functions at National Mutual Life/Buck Consultants (1994 to 1997); Colonial/Jacques Martin Industry/JMIFA/Superpartners (1997 to 2005); AAS Superannuation Services (2005 to 2006) and CitiStreet/Precision Administration/Sunsuper (2006 to 2010).

Fiona has also had experience in the public sector – as Assistant Director, Advisings Section with the Insurance and Superannuation Commission in 1993/1994 and as Acting Legal Counsel with the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal in 2010/11.

Fiona has an economics degree, majoring in economics and accounting, and a law degree from the University of Sydney and has been admitted to practice in NSW.

Giacomo joined UniSuper in the role of Lead, Retirement Solutions in 2023 and is responsible for leading a team that maintains and implements UniSuper’s Retirement Income Strategy, ensuring that UniSuper’s Retirement Income Covenant obligations to its members are met.

Giacomo is a qualified Actuary having completed a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies with a Bachelor of Applied Finance at Macquarie University. Giacomo is approaching ten years’ experience in financial services in roles spanning retirement product development, institutional business development, actuarial and investment consulting at Allianz and Mercer.

As the Head of Retirement, Jacki is responsible for Aware Super’s Retirement Strategy and for leading retirement initiatives across the Fund. She is passionate about enhancing Australia’s retirement system, tailoring investment outcomes for member needs and providing members with the confidence and support they need to live their best life in retirement.

In this role, Jacki draws from her experience driving retirement income and investment strategy research, leading the Retire marketing team, and designing end-to-end experiences that help members’ achieve their retirement goals.

Prior to joining Aware Super, she was the APAC Director of Strategic Research and a Senior Investment Consultant at Mercer. Jacki has an Honours degree in Finance and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the Australian National University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Jane leads ASIC’s Superannuation and Life Insurance team within ASIC’s Regulation and Supervision group. She oversees ASIC’s regulatory work associated with the superannuation and life insurance industries.

Jane’s previous role at ASIC was Senior Executive Leader, Superannuation. Her many years of regulatory experience includes senior roles overseeing superannuation, funds management, mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, corporate governance and supervising the ASX and other licensed financial markets.

Before joining ASIC, Jane was a lawyer in private and corporate practice. She holds honours degrees in Law and Psychology from the University of Sydney.

Jen McSpadden is a strategic and commercially driven executive whose mission is to drive better financial wellbeing and retirement outcomes for all Australians. She has over 25 years of experience in super and retirement, specialising in brand and sales strategy, customer insights, product and service innovation, financial education, and digital guidance and advice.

Jen joined Brighter Super in 2022 as Head of Marketing, and was appointed to the new role of Head of Retirement in November 2023. A broad-based, cross-functional role, she is accountable for delivery of the Fund’s Retirement Income Strategy and driving optimal growth for both the Fund and its members.

She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds an MBA and BA in Marketing.

Jenny joined TAL in 2014 and since then has held several leadership roles covering partnership management, new business development, marketing, and digital services. She was appointed General Manager, Digital Experience in July 2023, a new leadership role focused on strengthening TAL’s digital partnerships with superannuation funds.

Having spent all her career in the superannuation and life insurance industries, Jenny has significant strategic, technical, and operational expertise. She brings a solutions-focused approach and partnership mindset to deliver the best possible member experiences and outcomes. As General Manager, Digital Experience, Jenny is focused on the enablement and continuous improvement of TAL’s digital proposition and ensuring digital and technology roadmaps are aligned with the future needs of TAL’s partners and their members.

John is responsible for Hannover Re’s Group reinsurance portfolio covering Product, Pricing, Client Relationship Management and Strategic Direction.

He has over 15 years’ experience in Superannuation and Reinsurance, with the majority spent in the Australian Group Insurance market.

John is passionate about extending the “safety net” principles of Group Insurance to superannuation members beyond their working lives via the provision of Retirement Income products.

Kate is Head of Member Experience at AustralianSuper, where she leads a diverse portfolio across Member Sentiment, Experience Design, Service Channels and Service Transformation to support the fund’s ambition of helping members achieve their best financial position in retirement.

Kate joined AustralianSuper in January 2022, and prior to that held numerous senior leadership roles in customer, product, marketing and brand across banking, wealth management and insurance.

Lachlan Allardice has over 25 years of experience in the Australian financial services industry.

Lachie recently joined SS&C Technologies as Chief Growth Officer based in Melbourne. He has an extensive background in delivering administration, data, and digital solutions across superannuation, funds and wealth management. His expertise lies within building executive relationships and working with clients to deliver strategic solutions.

Prior to joining SS&C, Lachie held executive client and growth roles with Link Group, NAB Asset Servicing and J.P. Morgan. He has a long track record of working with superannuation funds and is passionate about working in the industry.

Lucy Foster is the Head of Group Retirement Solutions for Allianz Retire+. She is accountable for partnering with superannuation funds to deliver sustainable, member-first retirement propositions to help Australians secure their best retirement possible.

Lucy has a demonstrated track record of developing successful strategies for client-focused outcomes and has a deep understanding of the retirement landscape and the challenges facing retirees. She has more than 20 years of financial services experience in product and channel development, distribution, marketing, strategy, and execution for institutional, retail and direct clients.

She holds a Bachelor of Medical Sciences and an MBA.

Lucy job shares this role with Catherine van der Veen.

Luke Barrett is a partner at Gilbert + Tobin and the head of their superannuation practice. Luke has 25 years’ experience in financial services, specialising in superannuation law and investments. He has advised industry funds, retail funds and corporate funds across all aspects of their businesses, with deep experience advising on defined benefits, accumulation and retirement-phase products and the investment strategies that underpin them.

Prior to joining Gilbert + Tobin, Luke served as General Counsel for one of Australia’s largest industry super funds where he worked for over 15 years. During that time he was recognised as Australia’s leading general counsel for two years running.

He also serves on the Law Council of Australia’s Superannuation Committee.

Luke is a highly experienced wealth industry executive and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2023. He brings strong commercial and wealth industry experience to the CEO role, built up over more than 25 years, leading and managing end-to-end businesses across both traditional and start up environments within Financial Services. This includes senior leadership roles at ANZ Banking Group and at AMP.

In superannuation he has had a particular focus on strategy, product innovation, member engagement and digital transformation, whilst in the advice business his key priorities were around digital advice solutions, regulatory change, client engagement and M&A of advice firms.

Luke’s unique combination of professional experience and technical skills, combined with a strong energy and enthusiasm, will further support legalsuper’s purpose of empowering Australia’s legal community to build retirement wealth.

He holds a Bachelor of Commerce – University of Melbourne, MBA – Charles Sturt University and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Maria Ganakas is a seasoned professional in the Superannuation and Finance industry, with over 30 years of experience and a diverse background in all aspects of the advice industry. Throughout her career, Maria has held numerous senior positions, honing her expertise in the field, and is recognised as a superannuation and retirement subject matter expert. Currently she serves as Head of Retirement, Advice and Service for Prime Super, leading the Retirement Income Strategy for the fund, and a team of education and advice specialists. Her focus is on how to best assist members and employers in navigating the world of superannuation and retirement, turning the complex into simple.

Moreover, Maria is a strong advocate for gender equality in retirement savings. Recognising that superannuation is one of the most powerful tools available to bridge the gender savings gap, she actively champions initiatives and programs aimed at educating women about their superannuation rights and opportunities. She firmly believes knowledge is power and her passion is to empower women to make informed decisions to secure their financial wellbeing for retirement.

With a wealth of experience, unwavering passion for empowering individuals, and commitment to bridging the gender savings gap, Maria continues to make a significant impact in the Superannuation and Finance industry and members of Prime Super.

Dr Marian Baird is Professor of Gender and Employment Relations and Co-Director of the Sydney Employment Relations Research Group at the University of Sydney Business School. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia and Chief Investigator on the Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research. In 2016 she was awarded an AO for outstanding services to improving the quality of women’s working lives and for contributions to tertiary education.

Marian has over 25 years of experience in research and policy making in the field industrial relations and gender equitable workplace change. She is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of parental leave and women, work and economic empowerment over the life course.

Her most recent book, (publication September 2024) ‘The Multigenerationanl Workforce’, examines age, gender and caring in Australia, with attention to retirement pathways for women.

Marianne was appointed as Cbus Super’s Deputy CEO in June 2023 and is the Chief Member Officer. She joined the fund in 2019 to lead the member and employer experience division which supports services for our 900,000 members*. Marianne is a dedicated advocate driving change to deliver better quality retirement outcomes for Cbus members and their unique needs.

Prior to joining Cbus, Marianne was the Executive Director of Customer Support at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and has provided executive leadership for over two decades in industries including finance, logistics, utilities, energy and banking. She is respected for steering organizations through successful transformation, driving business and commercial performance.

She is also a Board Director of The Royal Women’s Hospital in Victoria.

*as of 12 May 2023

Mary Delahunty joined ASFA this year and her leadership qualities, industry knowledge, and demonstrated commitment to advancing the sector, align with ASFA’s 60-year-long mission to bring the whole industry together to strengthen the effectiveness of the superannuation system for all Australians.

In 2022 she founded Seven Advisory which provides specialist ESG and impact advisory services to institutional investors developing their social license to deliver long-term value. Prior to that she was Head of Impact at HESTA where she was instrumental in shaping strategic policies and responsible investment practices to advance member outcomes in the superannuation system. She was also previously an executive with Link Market Services.

Mary is a member of the Pensions & Investment World Pension Summit International Advisory Board and holds several board positions including in the RegTech and education sectors and was a 2015 Churchill Fellow awarded for international research on gender equity in retirement outcomes.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Melbourne and a Masters of Applied Finance.

Michael Clancy has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Super since November 2015.  With over 25 years of expertise in the financial services industry, Michael is a leader in the superannuation, investment, and insurance sectors. Michael is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the CFA Institute. In addition to his role with Qantas Super, Michael is the Chair of CFA Society Australia and a member of the Glebe Administration Board.

Michelle Lusty leads the Propositions function for Bravura Solutions – APAC and is based in Sydney.

With a career spanning 25 years in Financial Services and IT, Michelle has garnered extensive expertise across superannuation, insurance and investments. Her specialties centre around retail and group superannuation, retirement solutions, intrafund and digital advice solutions.

Nicolette is a non-executive director in the finance industry, on the boards of UniSuper, Zurich and CBHS Health Fund.

She is also on the board of Greenpeace Australia Pacific and chairs a South African charity, Missionvale Australia.

In 2024 Nicolette was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for her services to business.

She was President of the Actuaries Institute in 2019 and was a director of ASFA for eight years.

Prior to her board career, Nicolette held senior roles with CBA/ Colonial First State, BT and Towers Perrin.

Nicolette is a qualified actuary, holds an executive MBA from the AGSM and is a Fellow of AICD.

She is author of the book “Not Guilty”, a guide for career mums. She is married to Jonathan Rubinsztein and they have three daughters.

Patricia leads the peak body for older Australians, taking a constructive approach to building an inclusive and bright future for older people. Her goal is to eliminate ageism, which should be as socially unacceptable as sexism and racism. Studying ageism as part of her BA in Social Sciences, she was inspired to volunteer in home care, and do meals runs. She cried when an older woman held on to her hand and asked her to stay because she had not seen anyone that day, and anyone young in a long time.

Committed to building a more inclusive Australia that appreciates and welcomes the contribution of older people, Patricia’s career spans community, disability, and aged care, health, and advocacy roles. She has experience from the perspective of not-for-profit, public service, advocacy, Ministerial office, and most importantly, as a support to her own ageing family members.

Patricia centres her work on the value of older people. Everyone deserves the benefit of older people we love in our lives. She has worked consistently to improve the choice and control older people have in their own lives, working to reform aged care to fund the individual’s care, rather than the provider, and following through to make sure the system works.

Peter Hogg is the General Manager of Guidance & Advice at Aware Super. He has over 15 years’ experience working as an Advice leader within profit for member superannuation funds which includes leading significant transformation programs and embedding regulatory change in practice.

After 20 years, he remains a licensed financial planner who is a known advocate for the value of advice and role it plays in improving retirement outcomes for members.

Peter Kohlhagen is a General Manager in the superannuation division at APRA, leading a team that undertakes prudential supervision of superannuation trustees in Australia.

Peter joined APRA in 2005. Prior to his current role, he held leadership positions as General Manager for Life and Health insurance, General Manager Advice and Approvals, and the Head of Insurance Policy. He has had extensive international experience in various roles at the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), including representing APRA on the Policy Development Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee.

Peter holds bachelor’s degrees in law and economics from the Australian National University and a master’s degree in applied finance from Macquarie University. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School General Management Program, a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, having graduated from their course with Order of Merit, and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Renae Smith is Chief of Personal Investor at Vanguard Australia and a member of the Australian executive team. She is responsible for delivering on Vanguard Australia’s ambitious growth agenda in the direct to consumer market with accountability for the retail strategy, client growth, member and investor experience, and operations.

Renae joined Vanguard in 2023 from AIA where she was Chief Customer Experience and Operations Officer managing a diverse, client-centric group of teams including customer strategy and experience, digital, customer service and operations.

Renae has a diverse experience developed in executive and functional roles in the insurance, financial services, telecommunications and technology sectors. This has included commercial and functional responsibility for brand, marketing, product, pricing, digital and operations.

Prior to joining AIA, Renae held key leadership roles at GE Capital and Telstra following an early career in entrepreneurial start-ups.

In this role Ross has been responsible for preparation of research papers across a range of superannuation and retirement income issues, including adequacy of retirement income and the structure of the Australian retirement income system.

He is responsible, amongst other things, for the development and maintenance of the ASFA Retirement Standard, which is now very commonly used.

Prior to joining the staff of ASFA he held senior positions with the Australian Treasury and an Australian Government research agency, the Economic Planning Advisory Commission.

Ross has degrees in Economics and Law from the Australian National University.

Ruth has over 30 years of experience and leads MinterEllison’s superannuation practice.

MinterEllison is one of Australia’s largest law firms and is recognised for its particular expertise in financial services, including superannuation.

Ruth is ranked Band 1 in Superannuation by Chambers Asia-Pacific and is consistently recognised in the Superannuation category of Best Lawyers.

Ruth advises superannuation trustees, employers and fund managers on all aspects of the regulatory ecosystem in which super funds operate. She has had a diverse career which has included working as in-house counsel and working with ASIC, enabling her to offer clients a perspective on the policy context to the law as well as some understanding of its practical impacts.

Ruth has worked extensively with clients on the development of retirement income products and annuities to address the evolving needs and expectations of retirees and was appointed to the Federal Government’s Advisory Panel in relation to the proposal to introduce Comprehensive Income Products for Retirement.

Following his appointment to Chief Growth Officer in 2022, Sam moved into the role of Chief Strategy Officer in November 2023.

Sam is responsible for developing and overseeing the implementation of integrated strategies aligned with the purpose and ambition of the Fund. This includes leading the development of insights and business intelligence to inform business and product design processes, and sophisticated and commercially focused frameworks.

Sam is also responsible for HESTA’s People and Culture, ensuring we have the right capability and environment to bring our strategy to life and achieve the best outcomes for our members.

Sam has more than 15 years’ experience in the superannuation sector across customer experience, service design, market research, business intelligence and data science. He has held senior relationship management, product and operations roles with Superpartners, REI Super and HESTA. Sam is completing a Master of Business Administration (in progress) and holds a Graduate Certificate of Management and Diploma of Financial Services (Superannuation).

Sarah Abood is Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). The FAAA was formed in April 2023 from the merger of the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) and the Financial Planning Association (FPA), and is Australia’s leading professional association for financial planners and advisers.

Sarah has over 25 years’ experience working in the financial services sector and she is a passionate advocate for financial planning. She has a deep understanding of the profession, and the demands of running an advice practice, gained from her nine years as CEO of a privately-owned and self-licensed financial planning firm.

Prior to commencing as FAAA CEO, Ms Abood held the position of chief operating officer at the for-purpose fund manager HOPE Housing. She has also worked in senior leadership, change and transformation, and marketing roles for some of Australia’s leading financial institutions including Fidelity International, CFS, BT, Westpac, Rothschild and AMP. Sarah holds a BA from the University of Sydney, an MBA from Macquarie University (MGSM) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Sharan Burrow is a global advocate for human and labour rights, climate action and Just Transition. She is the Former General Secretary of the  International Trade Union Confederation 2010-2022. Previously she was President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) from 2000 – 2010.

Sharan is well known for her international advocacy on labour standards, corporate responsibility, climate action with just transition, investment in infrastructure and the green economy, investment in the care economy, women, equality and diversity, global migration and employment.

She has represented workers and civil society groups in global policy discussions in United Nations bodies, on the Governing Body of the International Labour Organisation as well as at the tables of the G7, G20, World Bank and International Monetary Fund.  She has twice been a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos.

Sharan is currently a Visiting Professor to the LSE- Grantham institute, a board member of the European Climate foundation, a co-chair of the IEA Labour Council, a Commissioner for the Global Commission on Universal Health Coverage, deputy chair of the B Team, a member of the Commission on Global Climate Governance and a commissioner for the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development.

Shaun has over 13 years of experience across investment platforms, superannuation, and life investment products.

As Head of Product and Retirement, Shaun provides leadership across the key functions growing and managing TAL’s retirement business including product, pricing, partnerships and partner solutions.

Also within Shaun’s remit is leading the product and operational teams keeping life-long promises across TAL’s suite of heritage retail and institutional superannuation and life investment products.

Simon Welsh is Director Research and Reputation at social and political research firm, RedBridge Group.

Simon has worked in research for over 20 years, building on his background in cognitive psychology. His specialty is the collection of intelligence on complex and sensitive issues to inform strategy and communications development.

He has worked with many political campaigns, as well as with large private-sector organisations (e.g. BHP, Medibank, AusNet) and not-for-profit and government organisations.  In the superannuation field, Simon has worked with Industry Super Australia, Rest Super, TWU Super and, of course, ASFA.

Tom Symondson is a respected voice for aged care as the inaugural CEO of the Aged & Community Care Providers Association (ACCPA), which represents over 1,100 aged care organisations providing care and housing for older Australians.

A leader in the $23.6 billion aged care sector representing residential aged care, home and community care, and retirement living, Tom joined ACCPA in 2022 to help shape a high performing, trusted and sustainable aged care sector.

In January 2024, Tom was appointed to the National Aged Care Advisory Council to provide expert advice to government on key matters relating to the aged care sector.

At the fore of policy reform in health and aged care for two decades, Tom previously led the Victorian Healthcare Association as CEO, and prior to that held senior policy positions in one of the largest councils in the United Kingdom

Wayne is a member of the Frontier Advisors Leadership Team and manages both business development activity and the marketing and communication program, including brand management, content creation and publication, digital media, and public relations.

Wayne has an extensive background in marketing of financial services, specifically in superannuation, having previously held senior marketing and communication roles with Hostplus, Sunsuper and QSuper. He is a past Rainmaker Australian Superannuation Marketer of the Year and has won multiple industry awards for marketing and communication at each of the funds he has worked for. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from the Queensland University of Technology, a Diploma of Superannuation Management, and an Associate Diploma in Marketing. Wayne is a Fellow of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia.

Zein El Hassan is a partner in the Mills Oakley Financial Services Team based in Sydney. He has over 30 years’ experience in top tier Australian and international law firms and as a consulting partner of an international consulting firm.

Zein advises super funds, wealth managers, platforms, financial advice licensees and life insurers on all aspects of their governance and legal and regulatory requirements.

He is known as an innovator and strategic adviser because of the depth and breadth of his experience across the different sectors of the financial services industry.  He is technically proficient as well as commercially focused and is known as a safe pair of hands in relation to the management of transactions, projects as well as regulatory investigations and remediations.

Zein is a recognised lawyer in Legal 500, Chambers: Asia-Pacific Guide 2024 and Best Lawyers since 2013.