AA announces new CEO to guide next stage of journey

The Board of New Zealand’s Automobile Association is delighted to announce that Nadine Tereora has been appointed as its new CEO from February next year.

The appointment follows current CEO Brian Gibbon’s decision to retire in January 2022 after 30 years leading the AA as the only CEO it has known, and the ten years prior as CEO of the Wellington (Central) Automobile Association which he joined in 1982.

Association President Gary Stocker said Nadine was clearly the best candidate to take the AA on the next stage of its journey.

“We are absolutely thrilled that Nadine will be joining us as CEO. Her leadership experience in the financial services industry is extensive and varied, making her one of the leading and most innovative executives in the sector. We have worked with her before when she was CEO at Asteron Life, our joint venture partner on AA Life Insurance, and have held her in high esteem for many years.

“More importantly, Nadine is an exceptional people leader. She intuitively understands the importance of the service culture which is at the heart of the AA, and has a natural drive towards customer innovation. She understands that we are here to serve our Members, and for the greater public good,” Gary said.

Nadine has most recently been the Chief Operating Officer of Partners Life, the second-largest insurance company in New Zealand, and assumed the role after four years as the CEO of Fidelity Life from 2016 to 2020, during which time she played a central role in securing a $100m cornerstone investment by the New Zealand Super Fund to drive innovation and growth.

Nadine’s 2014 appointment to Asteron Life, where she served as CEO and Executive General Manager, distinguished her as the first female CEO of a Suncorp Group company, just as she will also be the AA’s first female CEO.

Under Nadine’s leadership both Asteron Life and Fidelity Life won numerous top industry awards, including Fidelity Life being named Life Insurance Company of the Year at the ANZIIF Awards, in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and the same award for Asteron Life in 2014/15.

She has been a Financial Services Council Board Member since October 2016, serving as Chair of the Life Insurance Committee, and a founding member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

“What is fantastic is that Nadine is clear that she wants to honour what’s special about the AA, and feels privileged to lead the Association into a new era. Brian is very supportive of this changing of the guard, and having worked so closely with Nadine, knows how well her expertise and personality will fit the organisation and its aspirations, ensuring a smooth transition ahead. At this time I would also like to once more pay tribute to Brian who has been such an inspirational leader to us all over the past four decades.

“Brian has achieved an immense number of milestones such as turning a Membership base of 600,000 into 1.8 million Members, while building an Association regarded as one of the most successful in the world. Its activities are incredibly diverse, offering roadside assistance to more than 500,000 Members each year, providing driver licensing services nationwide on behalf of Waka Kotahi, and supplying all forms of Insurance to Members. The Association also offers financial services, tourism services, expert advice at AA Auto Centres nationwide and driver training. This has all been achieved without increasing the annual Membership fee for 30 years, and most Members receive more in benefits and discounts than the cost of the subscription,” Gary added.

Brian will continue as CEO until the end of January 2022 and then retire to spend more time with his family, but is expected to continue his role with the FIA, where he has been President of the Senate since 2017.

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