Dean Mulheron

Acenda Life is helping more Australians grow their wealth and plan for the future with an expanded range of investment solutions for advisers and customers.

As part of its expanded offering, Acenda Life has launched a new Investment Bond, a simple tax-effective solution designed to help customers accumulate and transfer wealth over the long-term. It provides a flexible way to invest outside superannuation and supports a range of goals, from wealth accumulation and education funding to estate planning, funeral costs and wealth transfer. Earnings are taxed within the bond at a maximum rate of 30 per cent, providing a tax-effective structure for customers looking to build wealth over time.

Acenda Life Chief Product Officer Dean Mulheron said the launch of the new Investment Bond reflected growing demand for simple, tax-effective solutions that provide greater flexibility in how people build and manage wealth, and support future generations.

“Australians are looking for investment options that are easy to understand and use,” Mr Mulheron said.

“The Acenda Life Investment Growth Bond offers a simple and tax-effective way to invest over the long-term, whether that means building wealth, supporting family or planning how wealth is passed on to the next generation.

“The launch expands Acenda Life’s wealth offering, and gives customers and advisers more choice in how they achieve their financial goals.”

The Investment Bond launch is complemented by enhancements to Acenda Life’s Fixed Term Annuity, including new adviser-focused features and greater flexibility for customers seeking certainty from their investment.

“Our research highlights the importance Australians place on financial confidence and certainty,” Mr Mulheron said.

“Alongside the launch of our Investment Bond, we have enhanced our Fixed Term Annuity with new features that make it easier for advisers to do business with Acenda Life, while continuing to provide customers with guaranteed returns and capital stability as part of a broader investment portfolio.

“Together, these solutions provide advisers and their clients with more options to balance growth, flexibility and certainty within their investment portfolio.

Mr Mulheron said trust remains a key consideration for customers making long-term investment decisions.

“When people are making important decisions about their financial future, they want to know that the organisation they’re investing with will be there for the long-term. Acenda Life is a trusted provider with more than 175 years of experience helping Australians to make those decisions with confidence.”

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Lisa Green will join Acenda Life as Group Chief People and Culture Officer, succeeding Mr Miller, effective immediately. Ms Green brings over 30 years of human resources experience across Australia and the USA, spanning financial services, listed companies and media.

With these appointments, Sean McCormack will step down as Chief Commercial Officer, after two periods of leadership with the Group. Mr McCormack originally joined MLC Life Insurance in 2009 and rejoined Acenda Life in 2025 to lead the Commercial division through the early stages of the Acenda Life and Resolution Life Australasian integration. This follows Nippon Life’s acquisition of Resolution Life globally.

Chief Executive Officer of Acenda Group, Chris de Bruin said these appointments position the business for the next phase of the Australian integration and growth strategy.

“Almost a year into our integration in Australia, the Acenda Group is making strong progress towards a simpler, digitally enabled operating model. These appointments bring together the commercial, customer and people capabilities we need for our next phase, while maintaining disciplined execution for customers, advisers and partners,” said Mr de Bruin.

“Ross has made an exceptional impact since joining Acenda Life earlier this year. He brings more than 20 years of commercial and customer leadership experience across complex financial services businesses,” Mr de Bruin said. “His enterprise perspective, deep understanding of customer and distribution operations, and proven ability to lead through transformation will be important as we sharpen our commercial strategy and build a sustainable platform for growth.”

Mr de Bruin said Lisa Green’s appointment would add significant depth to the Acenda Group Leadership Team. “Lisa brings a wealth of experience across various industries that will be invaluable as we continue to build an integrated, high-performing and people-centred culture across Australia and New Zealand.”

Mr de Bruin also acknowledged Mr McCormack’s contribution to Acenda Life. “Since rejoining the business, Sean has led the Commercial team to important market wins, supported the integration of our teams, helped establish the cultural foundations of our Melbourne office and played a key role in shaping our future strategy. I thank Sean for his contribution and wish him well for the future.”

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Sean McCormack

Acenda Life has launched a new guaranteed retirement income solution designed to provide Australians with financial confidence, as the latest research shows Australians are increasingly worried about running out of money in retirement.

The launch marks Acenda Life’s entrance into retirement, bringing Australians more choice in retirement income. Acenda Life’s Lifestream Guaranteed Income is a modern retirement income solution, and addresses the challenges posed by longer lifespans by providing predictable, guaranteed income for life, even when unexpected events occur.

The launch comes as 40 per cent of Australians aged over 45 are concerned about running out of money in retirement, amid rising living costs and uncertainty about how long savings need to last.

A new research paper by CoreData explores factors leading to retirement uncertainty, and the need for Australians to have access to new income solutions providing confidence when planning for retirement. The Paper found:

• The amount pre-retirees think they need to retire has increased by 18 per cent over the past two years to $953,550.
• 87 per cent of working Australians believe the age pension is insufficient for a comfortable lifestyle.
• The proportion of the Australian population aged over 65 will double by 2060 with a 65- year-old male expected to live 20 years in retirement, and a female another 23.
• Only one in 10 Australians feel comfortable with their financial wellbeing all the time and only 41 per cent understand how to reach their retirement goals.

Sean McCormack, Acenda Chief Commercial Officer, said: “A dignified retirement is a financial and social imperative for all Australians. With Australians living longer and living costs rising, retirees are worried about whether their savings will be enough.

“There is a clear opportunity for the industry to create more predictable retirement income solutions, that give Australians confidence and certainty in their financial future.

“Building on over a century of protecting Australians, Acenda Life is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the concentrated and underserved retirement sector. Backed by the strength of Nippon Life, Acenda has the scale, deep expertise and a proven investment capability to provide retirement solutions that will improve financial outcomes for retirees.

“This is the first in a suite of modern retirement solutions we’re building in response to the growing need for financial confidence.

“Our new solution, Lifestream Guaranteed Income, helps older Australians retire with confidence. Together with tailored financial advice, it can provide predictable retirement income and reassurance that payments will continue, even when markets or circumstances change. That certainty becomes increasingly important over longer retirement periods, while helping to counter market volatility and rising living costs.”

McCormack said financial advice is critical to help Australians understand their retirement needs and reiterated Acenda Group supports the full implementation of the Federal Government’s Delivering Better Financial Outcomes (DBFO) reforms.

“Planning for retirement is one of the most important financial decisions Australians will make and it’s important they can also get access to affordable and tailored advice to help them prepare for what should be the best years of their lives,” he said.

“We provide financial advisers with easy-to-use digital tools and access to retirement specialists, so they can generate instant quotes for their clients. This provides another layer of confidence as Australians plan their financial future.”

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