PPS Mutual creates Director of Strategy Role for Matthew Pilcher, promotes Avanti Patki to Head of Product
Avanti Patki
Specialist risk insurance business PPS Mutual has announced the appointment of Matthew Pilcher to the newly created role of Director of Strategy, as the mutual enters the next phase of its growth following its tenth anniversary in the Australian market.
Avanti Patki, currently Senior Product Actuary (Member Strategy & Engagement Manager), has been appointed Head of Product, reporting to Pilcher. Both appointments take effect from 1 October 2026.
The creation of the Director of Strategy role reflects the scale PPS Mutual has reached since launching in Australia in 2016. In the role, Pilcher will lead PPS Mutual’s long-term strategy, identifying opportunities to deliver ongoing value to its Members, and will take responsibility for new initiatives across the business.
Pilcher joined PPS Mutual in 2014, ahead of its Australian launch, and has served as Director of Proposition for more than a decade. In that role he was instrumental in designing Professionals Choice, PPS Mutual’s specialist life insurance offering, to be the top-rated product for its professional Member base. He was also key in launching the PPS Mutual Super Fund in 2019, allowing eligible professionals to fund their premiums through superannuation. Prior to PPS Mutual, Pilcher spent 14 years at Munich Re of Australasia, most recently as Manager, Client Solutions.
Commenting on his appointment, Pilcher said: “I’ve been part of this journey since before we launched, and seeing PPS Mutual grow to more than 18,000 Members and approaching A$150 million of in-force premiums has been remarkable.
“But scale isn’t the goal in itself. What it gives us is the capacity to do more for the professionals who own this business, and for the advisers who look after them. As a mutual, every opportunity we pursue has to pass a simple test: does it deliver value and peace of mind to our Members and their families? That’s the lens I’ll bring to this role as we look at where we go next.”
As Head of Product, Patki will lead the development, pricing and ongoing evolution of PPS Mutual’s specialist product suite, including its Professionals Choice offering, as well as responsibility for PPS Mutual’s Member eligibility.
Patki brings more than a decade of specialised actuarial, strategy and financial modelling experience across the life insurance and wealth management sectors. Since joining PPS Mutual in 2021, she has been integral to expanding the mutual’s professional eligibility frameworks and has been a strong advocate for sustainable, long-term value within member-owned insurance models. Before PPS Mutual, she held actuarial roles at Macquarie Group and AMP, spanning insurance pricing and profitability, asset liability management, strategy and valuations. She is a member of the Actuaries Institute, where she has been a member of the Life Insurance Professional Practice Sub-Committee and hosted major networking initiatives.
Commenting on her appointment, Patki said: “Our Professionals Choice suite was built on a clear premise: that cover should be designed around how professionals’ careers and lives actually unfold. My focus will be on keeping it that way.
“That means making sure the product evolves as our Members’ needs change, is priced sustainably for the long term, and is accessible to more of the professionals who can benefit from it. Because the value we create stays with our Members, we have a real responsibility to get the product right. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and excited to lead a team that shares that commitment.”
PPS Mutual Chief Executive Officer Michael Pillemer congratulated both on their appointments: “I’m delighted to see Matt and Avanti step into these roles. Matt has helped shape PPS Mutual from the outset, and Avanti has brought wide-ranging expertise to our product work and helped expand the range of professionals we can serve.
“We have always said that being a mutual should shape the decisions we make, not simply describe our ownership structure. As we enter our second decade, we have the opportunity to do more for the professionals who have placed their trust in us. I know Matt and Avanti will keep our Members at the centre of what comes next, and I’m excited to see what they achieve with the wider PPS Mutual team,” Pillemer concluded.
The appointments build on a strong track record in the Australian market: PPS Mutual has been named Best Retail Life Insurer by Adviser Ratings for three consecutive years, and its annual lapse rate of 6.4% compares favourably with the industry average of 14.3%.*
As a mutual, PPS Mutual is owned by its Australian Members, who share in the profits of the products they buy. The company is a member of both the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals and the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation, reflecting its position within the Australian and global mutual and cooperative movement.
PPS Mutual is supported by PPS South Africa, which serves the largest multi-disciplinary group of professionals in the world and is South Africa’s largest mutual company. Dating back to the 1940s, over the last 10 years PPS South Africa has shared more than $3 billion in profits with its Members.. PPS Mutual’s life insurance products are available exclusively through accredited independent financial advisers.
