ASFA Spotlight on Insurance
Description
ASFA’s annual group insurance event (and one of our biggest of the year), returns to its usual February timeslot next year to showcase the latest thinking and insights into this vital member benefit.
A full-day program featuring the sharpest and brightest minds in our industry, this Spotlight event always fills up fast.
Join us to explore the key challenges, opportunities, and journey ahead for insurance in super. Featuring lively panel discussions and keynotes from industry experts and thought leaders – as well as some from outside the super space – with new perspectives and ideas to help solve problems and improve member outcomes.
Living risk – strategies across the lifecycle
Arguably the most significant megatrend impacting the superannuation industry is the ageing population. The looming intergenerational transfer of wealth and the systems needed to manage that by moving from accumulation to retirement solutions will be enormous.
From an insurance perspective, what are the implications and the opportunities? With life expectancy and fund balances increasing, what is the role for funds and insurers to work together to manage this ‘living risk’? Ultimately, how are we going to bring members on the journey for their entire lifecycle?
The government has been vocal on the industry’s need to create better solutions and bring members along on the journey. What is the path forward? What can we do that will dovetail in with the proposed objective of super. Are there things we can learn from international experience? How do we do better on claims handling and complaints?
The 2024 Spotlight on Insurance will look at how superannuation can put all pieces of the puzzle together to deliver for members. Sessions will unpack where the innovation will be coming from. How can we maximise member engagement and, indeed, what do they want from their insurance? Do we need a fresh approach to product design? How can we do better in all aspects of the group insurance ecosystem, from what it is today, to what it should look like tomorrow? What role should advice play?
Vitally, we’ll hear from a group of fund members who have been through the claims system, to give real-world feedback and provide clarity on the true value of this benefit.
The day will also include a look at the latest tech enablements, hear the latest thinking from regulators and present a new piece of ASFA research on the trends we are seeing across the industry on coverage.
Partnered by
Gold Partners
Silver Partners
Lanyard Partners
Speakers
Adam Gee
Deputy CEO & Chief Strategy Officer, GROW Inc
Learn moreHide
Adam joined GROW Super as the Head of Strategy in May 2019 and, prior to this, was the lead Partner in KPMG’s Superannuation Advisory practice. Adam has over 25 years’ experience in the superannuation industry and has a detailed understanding of superannuation legislation and industry standards as well as a detailed working knowledge of many of the superannuation funds and their service providers within the industry, having been the Chief Executive Officer of SuperRatings before moving to KPMG.
At GROW, Adam is responsible for supporting the development and commercialisation of the TINA Platform, which is a blockchain enabled superannuation registry platform that will change the landscape of administration in the Australian market.
Adam has extensive experience working across all sectors of the superannuation industry, including funds management, international pension markets, insurance and administration. He has provided both legislative and strategic advice on a range of matters from risk management and governance to strategic industry changes.
Adam is also responsible for developing GROW’s strategy within the domestic market as well as pursuing opportunities globally, given the flexible nature of the TINA Platform and its ability to be configured for any jurisdiction.
Adam has also regularly presented to more than 50 superannuation fund trustee boards and senior executives on benchmarking, industry trends and product development and has presented at a range of industry conferences, including ASFA, FSC, FINSIA, CMSF, FEAL and WSSA. Adam has had representation on several industry roundtables, including the Productivity Commission, Treasury, APRA, ASIC and sits on the ASFA NSW State Committee. Moreover, Adam has provided oversight of industry press releases and regular communication with a range of media outlets. He was also recently elected as the Chair of the ASFA NSW State Committee.
Adrian Rees
General Manager - Superannuation, APRA
Learn moreHide
Adrian joined APRA in 2004 and has supervised a wide range of banks, insurers and superannuation funds. Presently he supervises superannuation trustees and funds.
Adrian is also a member of APRA’s Superannuation Industry Group which monitors developments in the superannuation industry and helps develop APRA’s supervisory and policy responses to these issues. He works closely with APRA’s insurance team on insurance in superannuation matters.
Adrian has also worked in the private sector in funds management, retirement products and life and general insurance and has over 40 years of industry experience.
Alan Merten
Partner, Consulting, Deloitte
Learn moreHide
Alan is the lead Partner for the Actuarial & Insurance Solutions team, based in Sydney. With a background including corporate general management roles in insurance, superannuation, and wealth management in various countries, he leads multi-disciplinary teams to help clients improve performance of their businesses. His main area of focus is life insurance and his over 35 years’ experience includes leading or consulting on the full value chain from customer and distribution, through to product and operations as well as the financial aspects of running businesses.
Alison Bodinnar
Head of Product & Proposition, MLC Life
Learn moreHide
Alison, a seasoned insurance professional with over 24 years of industry experience, leads the Group Product & Proposition team at MLC Life Insurance. Driven by a deep commitment to improving outcomes for members, Alison empowers her team to deliver innovative life insurance solutions that cater to the diverse and evolving needs of superannuation fund members.
Anthony Clough
Chief Group Insurance Officer, AIA Australia
Learn moreHide
Anthony was appointed as AIA Australia’s Chief Group Insurance Officer in 2023. Since joining AIA in 2014, he has held a number of roles across group insurance, including strategic partnerships, enterprise growth, and corporate distribution.
Anthony’s background is in product development and he has a keen interest in ensuring the propositions of the future are more greatly aligned to partner and customers’ needs. Anthony is a sponsor of AIA’s work on sustainability and his ambition is to be a change agent for the industry to ensure greater engagement in insurance, better customer outcomes driven by digital enhancements, improved claims service and product development which provides long-term sustainable outcomes, while meeting customers’ needs.
Anthony holds an honours degree in Economics from the University of Northumberland.
Darren Wickham
Head of Group Insurance, Zurich
Learn moreHide
Darren is the Head of Group Insurance for Zurich’s Life & Investments business in Australia. In this role, Darren is responsible for the overall Group Life insurance business, which provides valuable insurance benefits to the members of industry super funds, master trusts and employers. He is accountable for strategy, product, pricing, relationships, growth and member engagement.
Prior to joining Zurich in February 2021, Darren led the Group Insurance business at TAL.
Darren has had a nearly 30-year career as an actuary and specialist in superannuation, life insurance, retirement income and other employee benefits. He is also an experienced superannuation trustee director (currently a director of Mercer Super) and a former Actuary of the Year.
Darren is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and holds a Masters in Economics from Macquarie University.
Damien Mu
CEO & Managing Director, AIA Australia
Learn moreHide
Damien Mu is the CEO and Managing Director of AIA Australia. Damien’s career at AIA Australia began in 2007, and he was appointed to the role of CEO in 2014. Damien has more than 20 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry, with management experience spanning life and health insurance, superannuation and investments. Over this time, Damien has also developed insight into the importance of wellbeing and is a strong advocate for positive physical and mental health.
In 2014 the company launched AIA Vitality, a world leading health and wellbeing program, to the Australian market. New Zealand was added to his responsibilities for the period of July 2016 to January 2022 and in July 2017, AIA and its partners launched AIA’s health insurance business, now known as AIA Health.
In 2021 Damien was awarded Insurance Leader of the year at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Insurance Industry Awards. Damien has also previously been awarded Shared Value Champion at the Shared Value Awards and the AB+F Australian Insurance Executive of the Year. He holds a number of directorships including ANZIIF and he is also an Advisory Board member of the Shared Value Project.
Dr. Fei Huang
Senior Lecturer, School of Risk & Actuarial Studies, UNSW
Learn moreHide
Dr. Fei Huang is a Senior Lecturer in Risk and Actuarial Studies, at UNSW Business School. She is also the Lead – Data and AI Tech at UNSW Business AI Lab. Fei’s research focuses on Ethical AI (and non-AI) and Data Science for Insurance. In particular, she studies insurance discrimination, pricing fairness, and their welfare implications. She also develops statistical and machine learning methods for various insurance and actuarial applications, including insurance pricing, mortality modelling, customer valuation, and customer churn analysis. She has received multiple research awards for her pioneering research in insurance discrimination, including the Carol Dolan Actuaries Summit Prize, ASTIN Colloquium Best Paper Award, and the UNSW Business School SDG Research Impact Award. She was a recipient of the Actuaries Institute’s 2023 Volunteer of the Year Award.
Fei teaches actuarial data science and statistical machine learning at UNSW. By collaborating with industry partners, she incorporates contemporary industry challenges into the course syllabus to offer a unique industry-engaging experience for students via Sandbox Projects. Her educational excellence has been recognized by winning the UNSW John Prescott Award for Outstanding Teaching Innovation, ANU Vice Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence, and ANU College of Business and Economics Award for Teaching Excellence. Fei is a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (SFHEA).
Fiona La Greca
Senior Product Manager (Insurance & Accumulation), TelstraSuper
Learn moreHide
Fiona has been at the forefront of operational team management in the insurance and claims space for two decades, from both an insurer and trustee perspective, and has been influential in driving favourable changes in the areas of insurance product management, claims transformation and claims handling.
Having recently transitioned from Head of Insurance & Claims to Senior Product Manager at TelstraSuper, Fiona’s focus now lies with design and delivery of product enhancements that align with best value and outcomes for members.
Gaby Pirana
Insurance Manager, HESTA
Learn moreHide
Gabriela is passionate about finding pragmatic member-focused solutions that simplify the insurance experience for all members. Her focus is on ensuring a holistic end-to-end member experience is considered in the design of insurance products and service offerings.
Prior to recently moving into an operational role, Gabriela assisted superannuation trustees through pragmatic legal advice on a variety of topics, including insurance.
Heather Gray
Lead Ombudsman – Superannuation, AFCA
Learn moreHide
Heather Gray is the Lead Ombudsman – Superannuation at the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) where she leads a team of Ombudsmen and Adjudicators in determining a wide range of superannuation complaints.
Prior to joining AFCA in 2020, Heather had more than 30 years’ experience in private practice as a superannuation lawyer and was previously a partner at law firm Hall & Wilcox.
Heather has a strong interest in superannuation law and policy and has consulted widely to Treasury, ASIC, APRA and the ATO on draft legislation and other instruments, and on the development of policy. She was for many years a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Superannuation Committee, including a term as its Chair, and represents AFCA on the ATO’s Superannuation Industry Stewardship Group. She is a frequent speaker at superannuation conferences and events.
Ian Lorimer
Head of Product, UniSuper
Learn moreHide
Ian Lorimer is Head of Product at UniSuper. Ian is responsible for managing a full suite of products including defined benefit fund as well as traditional accumulation and retirement products. Ian has over 20 years of experience in financial services working in the areas of retirement, investment management, insurance, actuarial, product development and integration.
Jane Eccleston
Senior Executive Leader, Superannuation and Life Insurance, ASIC
Learn moreHide
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.
Jan Swinhoe
Chair, Mercer Superannuation
Learn moreHide
Jan has been a non-executive Director since 2011. She currently Chairs Mercer Superannuation (since 2014) and is a NED on Swiss Re Life and Health and the Swiss Re Advisory Board for Property and Casualty for Australia and New Zealand. She is also a NED for Australian Philanthropic Services. She recently retired as President of Athletics Australia after serving a nine-year term and being its first female President (in 105 years).
Previously, she has served on bank and retail Boards.
Jan’s background is in pure mathematics and actuarial studies and her executive career of thirty years was in superannuation, institutional banking, wealth management and insurance.
Jen Faglioni
Head of Product, Group Insurance, Zurich
Learn moreHide
Jen is a life insurance professional with 18 years of experience in the Group Insurance sector. As the Head of Product for Group Insurance at Zurich Australia, she takes the lead in the advancement of product solutions tailored for the superannuation and corporate markets. Prior to her current role, Jen led the Group Claims Business within Zurich and ANZ, contributing to the development and implementation of digital and customer-focused solutions to improve the claiming experience.
Combining technical product expertise, claims and operational management empower Jen and her team to seamlessly connect product development with practical implementation, ensuring the customers’ evolving needs remain at the forefront.
Jenny Nguyen
General Manager Digital Experience, TAL
Learn moreHide
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.
Jenny Oliver
Chief Executive, Group Life & Retirement, TAL
Learn moreHide
Jenny Oliver was appointed Chief Executive, Group Life & Retirement in October 2023. Since joining TAL in 2001, she has held a range of senior finance, operations, and commercial roles within the organisation.
Most recently, Jenny was the Chief Claims Officer, where for the past 4 years she led a significant transformation in TAL’s Claims function, strengthening the capability in the team, investing in our claims systems and processes, and establishing a clear roadmap for the future.
Jenny is a Chartered Accountant and holds a BEc and BComm from The Australian National University.
Jonathan Steffanoni
Managing Partner, QMV Legal
Learn moreHide
Jonathan is the Managing Partner and founder of QMV Legal, a Melbourne based law firm specialising in advising and representing trustees of APRA regulated superannuation funds. QMV Legal’s clients include UniSuper, HESTA, MLC Wealth, Qantas Super, Cbus, and Vanguard. QMV Legal has also acted as an ASIC appointed independent expert reviewing large remediation programs.
He has a diverse background with qualifications in business, history, and politics in addition to his legal qualifications (which came later in life than for many lawyers). He has also completed executive education in financial regulation at the London School of Economics.
Jonathan is a fellow of ASFA and sits on several working groups and committees. He was Chair of ASFA’s Victorian State Executive in 2021 and currently sits on the ASFA Member Engagement Committee. He is also a member of the Law Institute of Victoria and the Law Council of Australia.
Kate Leplaw
Head of Member Experience, AustralianSuper
Learn moreHide
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.
Kerry Vogel
Head of Insurance Operations, Insignia Financial
Learn moreHide
Kerry is the Head of Insurance Operations at Insignia Financial.
Kerry is responsible for all aspects of Insurance administration and service, including the end-to-end Claims function and Trustee Services with particular focus on the strategic direction and transformation of insurance across the enterprise.
She leads teams spanning Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart focused on delivering an industry leading ClientFirst service experience to clients, advisers and insurers.
Kerry has enjoyed an extensive career in the financial services industry and prior to her current role, led a team of senior product and insurance specialists responsible for the management of the ANZ Smart Choice Super Product suite.
Kimberley Robinson
Head of L&H Product Management ANZ, Swiss Re
Learn moreHide
Kimberley leads the Product Solutions team for Swiss Re’s ANZ Life & Health business and is responsible for product management and development, plus core client solutions.
Through her varied insurance career across underwriting, retail advised distribution, practice management, product management and solutions design, Kimberley has nurtured a deep understanding of the entire value chain.
She draws upon this knowledge plus her industry working group experience to ideate, test and tailor solutions to best meet the needs of Swiss Re clients.
Kris Barlow-Stewart AM
Genetic Counselling Consultant and Director, Centre for Genetics Education, NSW Health
Learn moreHide
Kristine Barlow-Stewart, AM, FHGSA, PhD, BSc received HGSA Genetic Counselling certification in 1991, the first in Australia, after leading the development of policy and training in this new field. She was the Foundation Director NSW Centre for Genetics Education (1989-2012); Foundation Director Master of Genetic Counselling Sydney University (2011-2018) and is currently a Senior Research Genetic Counsellor with the Children’s Cancer Research Institute and Honorary Associate Professor, The University of Sydney. Kris has a career total of 143 publications including 54 peer reviewed articles in the last 5 years. In recognition of her contribution to genetics education and research and the development of the genetic counselling profession, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (2022) and the inaugural Australian Genetic Counsellor of the Year (2021).
Libby Roberts
Founder and CEO, LeapForward
Learn moreHide
Libby, a psychologist by training, has worked in occupational rehabilitation for 30 years. She is a passionate advocate for evidence-based programs to help people recover from injury or illness, having seen how monumental the impact on an individual can be.
Libby founded LeapForward, an innovative Healthtech which fuses psychology with technology, to support individuals achieve lasting, holistic recovery. LeapForward combines psychological frameworks with established clinical efficacy and generative AI technologies to enable safe, engaging, and non-judgemental behavioural change coaching. Programs offer accessible, affordable, timely, and personalised expert care to meet customers’ preferences in terms of where, when, and how they receive it.
Lina Saliba
Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, MetLife
Learn moreHide
Lina was appointed Chief Customer and Marketing Officer in May 2022, a role pivotal to MetLife’s customer centred approach and is responsible for Customer Experience, Research and Insights, Marketing, Digital and Data. A strong advocate for customers, Lina’s focus is to elevate the profile of the customer across all functions in MetLife to ensure the end-to-end customer experience is at the forefront.
Lina has over 20 years’ experience across customer experience and operations in the Telecommunications and Financial Services industries. Prior to this appointment she was the Head of Customer Experience for MetLife, having joined in 2019. With a strong track record of leadership and delivery, Lina finds purpose in delivering meaningful outcomes for customers and employees alike.
Mark McClenahan
Head Product & Pricing ANZ and Head Life & Health NZ, Swiss Re
Learn moreHide
Mark is Swiss Re’s Head of Life & Health for New Zealand and Head of Product & Pricing across Australia and New Zealand. In this role he is responsible for the end-to-end performance of Swiss Re’s New Zealand Life business, including strategy, client relationships, operations, regulation, and profitability. His Product & Pricing team partners with clients on the design, pricing and profitability of the retail and group insurance product lines across Australia and New Zealand.
Mark Joined Swiss Re in 2014 and has held roles across Pricing, Underwriting, Finance and Valuation teams. Prior to Swiss Re, he’s worked in consulting and at primary insurers in insurance and investment roles. He is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute.
Mark is passionate about the life industry and the critical role we play in facilitating protection across the community for life’s biggest challenges.
Mary Delahunty
Chief Executive Officer, ASFA
Learn moreHide
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.
Melissa Davies
Executive Manager, Member Experience, SS&C Technologies
Learn moreHide
Melissa joined SS&C in January 2023 as Executive Manager, Member Experience and is based in the Newcastle office. She leads the Member Experience team within SS&C Member Services, providing superior superannuation administration to SS&C clients and their members.
With over 21 years of experience in the financial services industry, Melissa brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, particularly within the superannuation sector. Having dedicated 16 years to the superannuation industry, Melissa has held various roles encompassing administration, insurance, and contact centre management.
Melissa’s background includes extensive experience managing administration and contact centre operations, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of superannuation processes and customer service dynamics.
Penny Paré
Senior Manager, Insurance, Australian Retirement Trust
Learn moreHide
Penny is Senior Manager, Insurance at Australian Retirement Trust where she has responsibility for the insurance arrangements offered to members. This includes the design, operation and pricing of the insurance offer and the relationships with ART’s insurance partners.
Penny has been lucky enough to contribute to the retirement outcomes of Australians for over 25 years, having worked across all areas of super, with a specialty in insurance.
Renee Voutt
Head of Product, MetLife
Learn moreHide
Renee is the Head of Product, joining MetLife in June 2022, responsible for MetLife’s Group, Retirement Individual and Direct products. With over 20 years’ industry experience, Renee’s expertise spans product, account management, and trustee services. Prior to joining MetLife, Renee held various roles including Head of Strategic Product Development and Head of Product of other major insurers.
As an insurance specialist, Renee focuses on partnering with superannuation funds to develop sustainable and competitive product solutions for funds and their members. Renee has a strong background in product management and innovation where she has led insurance product teams through key industry changes and has had the privilege of working with some of Australia’s largest superannuation funds to help them achieve their strategic product initiatives
Samantha and Cameron Bloom
Learn moreHide
SAMANTHA BLOOM
Samantha Bloom is a three-time World Para Surfing champion in two divisions, bestselling author and inspiration behind the #1 Australian box-office, and global Netflix hit movie, Penguin Bloom, starring Naomi Watts.
The movie is adapted from the international bestselling book, Penguin Bloom: The odd little bird who saved a family. Published in 14 languages, Penguin Bloom is a collaboration between Sam’s husband Cameron, a professional photographer, and New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive.
Paralysed in an accident in Thailand in 2013, Sam has since won two Oceania KL1 paracanoe championships, and is the 2 x Australian, Hawaiian and 3 x World Para Surfing champion. In 2019, Sam was nominated for the Surfing Australia Female Surfer of the Year Award, and in 2022 was awarded the Surfing Australia Female Para Surfer of the Year.
Sam works with numerous spinal cord injury charities around the world and is a global ambassador for Wings for Life. She is an adventure traveller, ambassador for Tourism Australia, and a former neurology nurse and mother of three boys.
MLC life Insurance in partnership with Sam Bloom.
CAMERON BLOOM
Cameron is an award-winning photographer and cinematographer who began his career at the age of 15. Since then, his editorial and travel images have been published extensively, including in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and The New York Times.
Cameron’s images feature in the international bestselling book Penguin Bloom: The odd little bird who saved a family and bestselling sequel Sam Bloom: Heartache & Birdsong. Cameron’s creative talents were recognised at the 2018 GQ Awards where he received the Creative Force of the Year. Cameron and wife Sam’s story inspired the #1 box-office and Netflix success Penguin Bloom starring Naomi Watts and Andrew Lincoln.
Surath Fernando
Head of Group Insurance Solutions, WTW
Learn moreHide
Surath leads WTW’s Group Insurance Solutions team in Australia. He has over 17 years’ experience in the superannuation industry and consults to funds and trustees on all aspects of their insurance offering.
Over the last few years, Surath has consulted on some of the largest group insurance tenders in the Australian market. He also has deep expertise in providing funds with advice on Insurance Pricing, Product, Operations and Data Reviews.
He has practical experience in large scale change management projects having provided advice on the actuarial, insurance and employee benefits arrangements for a Top 10 ASX listed Company on their corporate demerger and global benefits restructure.
Surath is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (with Honours in Actuarial Studies) from The University of Melbourne.
Gallery
CPD Points
This event qualifies for 5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) point for members of ASFA’s Professional Accreditation Program.
For all enquiries, Click here to contact the ASFA events team.
