ASFA Board appoints industry veteran

4 October 2023

ASFA Board appoints industry veteran

The Board of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) today announced the appointment of Leeanne Turner to the role of Interim CEO and the re-appointment of Gary Dransfield as Chair.

“The Board commenced a recruitment process for a new CEO several months ago and that search is well advanced.

“Having stepped into the interim CEO role temporarily, it has become clear that we need someone in the role in a dedicated capacity,” said Gary Dransfield.

Leeanne has over 40 years of experience in the superannuation industry across a broad spectrum of funds and entities.

“The superannuation industry is on the cusp of the largest generation in Australian history entering the retirement phase, a transitioning economy, increased scrutiny, changing member engagement, and increased complexity.

“The Board is particularly keen to have someone with Leeanne’s deep industry experience and knowledge of the sector to assist ASFA at such an important time.”

Leeanne has been the CEO of AvSuper, MTAA Super and with the merger of MTAA Super and Tasplan, she was the inaugural CEO of Spirit Super, a role she stepped down from in March 2022.

A passionate and active member of the superannuation industry, Leeanne has been a Director of the Boards of ASFA, FEAL and ISA as well as a past member of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal Advisory Council.

“For more than 60 years, as the peak body representing all APRA-regulated superannuation fund sectors and their service providers, ASFA has been uniquely placed to navigate the maturing industry through its ability to bring all parties together to collaborate on delivering the best retirement outcomes for all Australians,” said Mr Dransfield.

“Developing a sound and comprehensive fact base which underpins our approach to policy and advocacy lies at the heart of everything we do – whether it be the practical implementation of regulation across industry, surfacing unintended consequences of policy positions, identifying improvements to the system and thus member outcomes or simply providing Australians with reliable and informative tools with which to plan for their retirement.

“ASFA is the market leader in delivering superannuation specialist training for industry participants and every year delivers one of the largest pensions conferences in the world.

“Leeanne’s unifying presence and ability to bring people together to collaborate on the numerous, complicated challenges facing our industry will bring tremendous energy and focus to the sector.

“As we are now less than two months away from our next conference, the Board is pleased to welcome an industry veteran of such standing to lead the organisation through this busy period,” concluded Mr Dransfield.