AIA hires top talent following market-leading growth

AIA hires top talent following market-leading growth

10 March 2016 – Insurer AIA New Zealand is investing heavily in new talent because of its market-leading growth in 2015 and 2016, with the appointment of 11 new positions, including to the senior leadership team.

Chief executive Natalie Cameron says the significant new appointments are a direct result of the strong growth recorded in the past 14 months, with Financial Services Council statistics showing AIA New Zealand had the highest annual growth of all in-market life insurers during 2015.

“These appointments improve and strengthen the AIA service model as we build on the impressive performance of the company in recent months,” Cameron says. “Our service to our customers and partners and our relationships with our valued advisers is the basis of our success and we’re anticipating further market gains this year as a result of our investment in top talent.”

Cameron says she is particularly delighted to bring in a new senior leader, Chief Risk Officer Mike Thornton, who brings extensive risk, compliance and actuarial experience from his years at AMP and AXA, as well serving as chief risk officer and chief actuary at executive level within a multinational organisation.

Another significant appointment is Bryan Hooper, who is the new Business Development Manager for the Central and Lower North Island regions: “Brian brings passion, experience and knowledge to AIA and will be well-known to many in the industry from his time at Prudential and Tower,” comments Cameron.

AIA’s new Corporate Solutions Officer, Deborah Ross, is another key appointment, while new Associate Product Manager Sara Alani will bolster the product team, including responsibility for researching, evaluating and enhancing product performance.

Three new key account managers are joining AIA: Jennifer James, Mark Gonzales and Hasta Faapoi, the latter an internal promotion reflecting the AIA ethos of fostering, developing and promoting talent within the company.

Senior underwriters Kim Harrison and Wilna Van Wyk are bringing their years of experience to the team, along with underwriters Justine Bulog and Minal Shah.

Taken together, the new appointments represent a significant investment in the New Zealand market, says Cameron: “The investment illustrates the benefits to our customers and partners from having the world’s second largest life insurer committing to New Zealand.

“We have the scale and the financial backing of a global giant to enable us to not only increase our share of the market but to continue to innovate and introduce new products, such as our market-leading REAL Health policy,” she says.

ENDS

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