(L to R): Catherine van der Veen and Lucy Foster
Allianz Retire+ has announced the appointment of Catherine van der Veen and Lucy Foster to the newly created position, Head of Group Retirement Solutions Client Delivery.
Within this role Ms van der Veen and Ms Foster will jointly manage client relationships, on-board key partners and oversee the implementation of new clients as the institutional arm of the business grows.
The two executives bring over four decades of combined experience in retirement, superannuation, investment management, advice, and insurance. They also share deep expertise in product and channel development, distribution, marketing, strategy, and execution.
Most recently Ms van der Veen and Ms Foster were at Challenger in the role of General Manager Customer Strategy & Experience where they led the customer strategy working across institutional, adviser, and direct clients. Prior to their experience at Challenger, they were CEO & Managing Director at Generation Life, leading the business for three years.
Allianz Australia Life Insurance CEO, Adrian Stewart said, “After a year of milestones for the business, we are thrilled to have Catherine and Lucy join the leadership team. Catherine and Lucy bring an enormous wealth of insight and value to the team, and we are especially excited to welcome them in a role sharing capacity, which they have successfully managed over the past seven years.
They both have a demonstrated track record of developing successful strategies for client focused outcomes and have a deep understanding of the retirement landscape and the challenges facing retirees. This thinking is critical for Allianz Retire+ as we continue to grow following the launch of AGILE this year.
With a strong background partnering with superfunds, Lucy and Catherine understand the importance of members best interests, trustee obligations, technology and operational pathways, and regulatory considerations. All of which are essential moving into 2024.
We have a moral obligation as an industry to come together to solve these problems at pace, which is why we are continuing to assemble the right people with the right skills for the job. Lucy and Catherine are a key example of this commitment.”
Their first job share role was at Commonwealth Bank in 2016–17 where they were Joint General Manager, Strategic Projects Wealth Management. During this time, they led the design of the future wealth management model in the Wealth Management arm of the Commonwealth Bank.