Spotlight on Insurance

As the Head of Legal & Operations for the Electrical Trades Union of Australia NSW/ACT (ETU), Alana works closely with the ETU leadership to ensure its legal team and operations are performing effectively and in line with the ETU’s legal, political and industrial strategies. She actively engages with all levels of internal and external stakeholders and represents the ETU in important and complex legal and governance matters.
Drawing on her extensive experience in private practice and in house legal roles, Alana represents the ETU on legal reform stakeholder committees, as a director of the board of Electrogroup and as a director of the board of NESS, an industry super fund that provides specialised superannuation services to the electrical contracting industry.

Belinda began her career in life insurance with Swiss Re in London over 25 years ago.
Upon returning to Australia, she held various claims roles within the life insurance sector, ranging from rehabilitation to technical positions. She subsequently became the Head of Claims at BT Life and later the Head of Retail Claims at TAL.
In these roles, Belinda led teams through significant technological changes, including claims systems upgrades and company mergers.
In 2023, Belinda joined Aware Super as the Head of Protect (Insurance and Claims).

Christine is a seasoned financial services professional with over 20 years of experience across retail and profit-to-member superannuation and investment product management, financial advice operations, and general operations.
As the General Manager of Operations at CareSuper, she is dedicated to building a sustainable in-house operations model that emphasises both member care and employee connections.
Christine leads a diverse team responsible for the Insurance and Claims function, Fund Administration, Operations Support, Resolution Management, and Operational Improvements.
Her extensive expertise in operational leadership and strategic innovation plays a pivotal role in enhancing the overall service delivery and operational efficiency for the benefit of members at CareSuper. She is passionate about helping members build retirement confidence by ensuring they can manage their accounts efficiently and they can engage with their superannuation with ease.

Craig Parrish is a Principal Lawyer and State Litigation Leader in our superannuation and insurance team in Sydney. Craig specialises in financial services law, acting for consumers in insurance claims, financial advice and credit law disputes.

Drew is the Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer at the Financial Rights Legal Centre in Sydney and the Consumer Representative on the Insurance Brokers Code of Practice.
Drew has worked in policy development and advocacy for close to 25 years working in the film, arts and consumer rights sectors. At the Financial Rights Legal Centre, Drew has focused on general and life insurance policy issues and recently led the joint consumer submission to the General Insurance Code of Practice review. Drew has also worked on credit and debt issues, including the Banking Code of Practice, Royal Commission and, more recently, the implementation of open banking and the Consumer Data Right.
Drew has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of NSW and a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communications) from Macquarie University.

Gary Dransfield is currently a non-executive director of Hollard Insurance and of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). He was formerly the Chief Executive of Insurance Australia for the Suncorp Group, has been both board member and Chair of the Insurance Council of Australia and the Insurance Council of New Zealand, and held numerous other board directorships. He has also held executive roles with IAG, Lend Lease, and AMP.
In February 2022 he was appointed Chair of ASFA’s board.

Heather 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.

Helen Rowell is an independent director of Australian Retirement Trust and a director of the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) and Mental Health Australia. Helen was also Chair of the independent panel undertaking the review of the General Insurance Code of Practice in 2023/4.
Helen held senior roles at Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) from April 2002 and was Executive Member and Deputy Chair of APRA for 10 years until 30 June 2023. She represented APRA on various international bodies, including the International Association of Insurance Supervisors Executive Committee, and was President of the International Organisation of Pension Supervisors from 2019 to 2022.
Prior to joining APRA in 2002, Helen was a partner at the international consulting firm Towers Perrin and she is a past President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

Ingrid is currently Head Underwriting L&H ANZ for Swiss Re.
Prior to her current role, Ingrid held various underwriting leadership roles at Zurich Insurance over her 15-year tenure, before making the move into reinsurance at Swiss Re.
She holds an MBA from Sydney University and is a Non-Executive Director for ALUCA in Australia. Her passion for insurance, comes from people and health, looking at how we live, and how we can protect people from the disruptions of life.

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.

Jim Minto holds Chair positions for Swiss Re Life & Health Australia, the Advisory Board of Swiss Reinsurance Company Limited (Australian branch) and Mercer Australia Superannuation Ltd.
His diverse career in financial services included 26 years of appointments as CEO with TOWER Group companies ranging across all elements of insurance and investment. He was Group MD in 2005 and became Managing Director of TOWER Australia now known as TAL in 2006 and retired from that role in 2015.
He was a former chair and board member of ASFA including a period as acting CEO. He chaired the Life Insurance in Superannuation Industry working group that developed the first Code of practice for life insurance in superannuation. He was a member of the federal government Natural disaster Insurance Review panel in 2011.
He has had various director and Chair roles including being Acting Chair of the NDIS Board.

Jocelyn Furlan is a highly experienced non-executive director and Chair.
She is a non-executive director on the Boards of Perpetual Superannuation Limited, Russell Investments Master Trust and Financial Counselling Australia. She is the Independent Chairperson of the Customer Owned Banking Code Compliance Committee.
Jocelyn has been the Chair of the Board of Strathcona Girls Grammar School since 2017 and is a non-executive director of the Mother’s Day Classic Foundation.
She was a director of the board of Aware Super for nine years and is a former member of Vanguard Investments Ltd’s external compliance committee.
She was the Chairperson and CEO of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal from 2007 to 2015 and was also the inaugural company secretary of VicSuper.
In addition to her non-executive work, Jocelyn provides consulting services in superannuation dispute resolution, excellence in member services, and financial services remediation. She is currently chairing ASFA’s steering group established to develop industry wide service standards for superannuation death benefits and insurance claims handling.
Jocelyn’s background is in financial services, with in excess of 25 years’ experience in superannuation. She holds law and commerce degrees and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Keely is an experienced leader who has spent 15+ years working to build and nurture successful teams across the corporate affairs, government and media sectors. As a former senior adviser to the Prime Minister and several ASX200 CEOs, she has deep experience advising C-suite executives and Cabinet Ministers on reputation, policy, media, marketing and public relations, as well as stakeholder and employee engagement.
She brings deep relationships and connections across the political, media, banking and financial services sectors. Known for her creativity and authentic communications style, Keely prides herself on delivering integrated communications, government relations and strategy campaigns that win hearts and minds.

Lisa-Marie is a leading superannuation and life insurance lawyer with extensive expertise in a broad range of matters impacting financial service providers across Australia and Asia Pacific.  Lisa-Marie advises a wide range of superannuation funds on all aspects of their operations and has specific experience assisting them with the highly technical aspects of their prudential regulation including data privacy, outsourcing, anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing.
Over more than two decades, Lisa-Marie has also assisted a wide range of trustees of retail, industry and corporate superannuation funds with the complex aspects of mergers and successor fund transfers including equivalency analysis, insurance and investment transition and outsourcing succession and novation.
Lisa-Marie has assisted superannuation funds manage a key stakeholder in their business, its life insurer, by advising on a diverse range of matters including transition to the new design and distribution and breach reporting regimes and with complex renewal, premium adjustment and reinsurance negotiations.
Known for her strong industry profile and passion for education, Lisa-Marie is regularly called upon by industry bodies (such as the ASFA) to present at conferences and at in-person and on-line webinars.

Lina was appointed as the Chief Customer and Marketing Officer in May 2022. She is responsible for Customer Experience, Research and Customer Engagement, Digital Marketing, and Customer Strategy & Propositions. Lina advocates for customers, ensuring the end-to-end customer experience is prioritised within MetLife. With over 20 years of experience in customer experience and operations, she brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Lina also oversees the digital marketing strategy, leveraging data analytics, social media, and innovative tools to enhance customer engagement and drive brand growth. She strives to improve the overall customer journey and foster a customer-centric culture within MetLife. Lina is known for her strategic vision and ability to drive transformation. Her leadership has been instrumental in achieving significant improvements in the customer experience.

Mary Delahunty is the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia Limited (ASFA).
Mary joined ASFA in 2024 after founding Seven Advisory, a specialist ESG and impact advisory service to institutional investors developing their social license to deliver long-term value. Prior to that Mary was Head of Impact at HESTA where she played a key role 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.

Mary brings over 20 years of experience in the Superannuation and Wealth Management sectors, with a proven track record of delivering tailored solutions to Financial Advisers, Brokers, and Wealth Managers.
With 14 years at SS&C Technologies, Mary has gained extensive expertise across client-facing roles, including relationship management, sales, and product development. Mary’s holistic understanding of the financial services value chain drives her commitment to enhancing member and investor outcomes through efficiency, automation, and scalability. She is RG146 compliant and holds a Post Graduate qualification in Financial Planning.
Mary is responsible for product management and strategy including sponsorship of SS&C’s micro services modernisation program.

Natalie is a registered psychologist with 19 years of experience. She began her career as a researcher, studying new therapies from overseas and analysing their effectiveness in the Australian population. With 15 years of presentation experience across all industries and lifespans.

Natalie values working closely with key decision makers to create wellness innovation within teams that is contemporary yet authentic. Natalie values the ‘how-to’ approach to wellbeing supported by research evidence to lead to greater motivation and behaviour change.

Peter Kohlhagen is a General Manager 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. He is the Chair of the Asian Forum of Insurance Regulators.
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.

Pippa leads ASIC’s Superannuation and Life Insurance team within ASIC’s Regulation and Supervision group. She oversees ASIC’s regulatory work associated with the life insurance and superannuation industries.
Prior to joining ASIC, Pippa held senior roles in policy and supervision at the UK Financial Conduct Authority across life insurance, pensions and mortgages. Pippa led financial services policy at Citizens Advice, the UK’s national debt advice charity after starting her career in government research.
She holds a PhD in politics and history.

Rebecca is a sustainability leader who is passionate about health and wellbeing and brings over 25 years of sustainability experience to AIA Australia. Her prior role was as a Partner at ERM, a global sustainability consulting firm, where she worked with organisations across a broad range of industries on sustainability strategy and climate change regulation. She has also held sustainability operational roles for BHP, Newcrest and Adbri and works in clinical practice as an Osteopath.

Sarah founded Mayflower Consulting in 2014, to help super funds and investment managers succeed, with a focus on the intersection between customer experience, regtech and business strategy. Prior to this Sarah was a Division Director at Macquarie Bank, and held numerous roles across marketing, product and strategy. Sarah has a marketing and information management degree from the University of Western Australia, and is a well-known industry commentator, with articles appearing in most major industry publications. Sarah is Chair of the ASFA National Legislation Discussion Group, Managing Director of CREW (Compliance and Risk Executive Women) and Co-chair of the Technology and Innovations Expert Group for the Financial Services Council.

Sarah Yu is a Partner at KWM and specialises in financial services, superannuation and insurance. Sarah has an extensive legal practice with over 25 years’ experience that spans regulatory, advisory, transactional and disputes work.
Sarah advises retail, industry and corporate superannuation funds, administrators and promoters, banks and wealth management institutions, life and general insurance companies.

As Head of Group Claims at MLC Life Insurance, Tamara combines her extensive claims background with a drive for developing customer-centric solutions that uplift the member experience through innovative processes, services and product design. Tamara is a passionate advocate for members to be treated fairly and with respect throughout the insurance and claims process. Through her work, Tamara has supported the development of award-winning initiatives that allow members to lodge claims more easily, with greater support and with earlier intervention for recovery.
As an ALUCA Director, Tamara also works in collaboration with other insurance professionals to increase professional capability across the industry through contributions to strategic advice, thought leadership and professional education.

Will Barsby is a seasoned leader in the personal injury industry with over 20 years of expertise driving exceptional outcomes across complex claims management, legal practice, and operational leadership. Since joining EML Group in 2019, Will has led the Life & Casualty division, overseeing nationwide operations across superannuation claims handling, CTP claim portfolios, and workers’ compensation tail portfolios.
Previously, Will served as Principal of the Disability Insurance and Superannuation division at one of Australia’s largest litigation law firms. There, he managed a practice handling over 10,000 Total & Permanent Disability, Income Protection, and Death claims annually, including an extensive litigation portfolio.
In addition, Will is a Director of Steering Healthy Minds, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing within the transport sector and serves as a Steering Committee Member of the National Road Safety Partnership Program, collaborating to enhance road safety nationwide.
Will is a qualified Australian Lawyer and holds the designation of Responsible Manager under ASIC’s Australian Financial Services License framework.

Zein El Hassan is a partner of the Mills Oakley national Finanical Services Team based in Sydney. He has over 30 years’ experience in top tier law firms and as a partner of an international consulting firm.
He is recognised in the “Best Lawyers” list for Superannuation and is consistently ranked as a leading financial services lawyer by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500.
Zein advises superannuation funds, insurers and wealth managers on legal and regulatory projects, transactions, investigations and remediations.
He is an industry commentator and authored many articles on financial serivces laws, digital financial advice and AI and is a strategic adviser to boards and senior management.