Justine Marquet

Allianz Retire+ has announced the appointment of Justine Marquet to the newly created role, Head of Technical Services.

Ms Marquet is a highly credentialed leader with over 20 years’ experience in financial services, working across product development, regulatory change, operations and sales functions. Her career has spanned superannuation, retirement, wealth, insurance and financial advice, giving her a deep understanding of the challenges Allianz Retire+ is committed to solving.

The retirement income specialists welcome Ms Marquet from MLC Life where she was most recently Head of Technical Services, Research and Regulatory Change. Throughout her tenure at MLC Life she led a specialist team to analyse and deliver insights from product and market research.

Ms Marquet spearheaded the businesses response to regulatory changes for life products advocating for workable policy outcomes and delivering risk management tools and frameworks for multiple regulatory initiatives. She also provided technical services and expertise to build internal capabilities, customer trust and provide partner support to the external market.

In her new role, Ms. Marquet will provide technical support and educational resources to help advisers and superfunds navigate retirement planning. She will work closely with Chief Product and Marketing Officer Simon Aboud and the broader Allianz Retire+ team to deliver these services while also supporting the rollout of the businesses’ innovative longevity Allianz Guaranteed Income for Life (AGILE) product, launched earlier this year.

“Justine’s deep sector knowledge, strategic ability and understanding of the retirement landscape will be critical as we continue to engage with both superfunds and advisers to deliver a suite of retirement income solutions,” said Mr Aboud.

“We are committed to solving the issues facing retirees, superfunds and advisers. There is undeniable momentum from the industry to address the needs of retirees by providing solutions that deliver certainty and flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.

Justine’s skills and experience in understanding how we can support advisers and superfunds solve these challenges is really exciting and we are thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

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Michael Downey, General Manager of Retail Distribution Partnerships at MLC Life Insurance, has expanded his leadership team with several recent appointments that have significant industry expertise in retail insurance and strong partnership credentials.

These appointments broaden the team’s existing strength and include:

• Lee Cheesman – Head of Retail Distribution Governance & Key Accounts. Lee has worked in the industry for over 30 years and has a strong background in Distribution, Sales, Account Management, Advice, Compliance, Risk Management and Operations. Lee began his career as a financial adviser in the UK and then upon arriving in Australia has spent the past 20 years at MLC Wealth in advice and senior leadership roles. These include – Practice Development Manager, National Insurance Retention Manager, Head of Advice Development and Head of Strategic Growth Advice. His most recent role also involved leading the MLC Advice Licensee Partnership Program.
• Justine Marquet – Senior Manager Retail Distribution Strategy, Enablement & Capability (secondment). Justine has 25 years’ experience in the life insurance industry and is currently the Head of Product Technical Services & Regulatory Change at MLC Life Insurance. Prior to joining MLC Life Insurance Justine held senior leadership roles at both AIA Australia and AXA in education and technical support services for advisers. Before then, she was Head of Professional Development at Kaplan.

The new appointments follow the launch of MLC Life Insurance’s new income protection products called Income Assure and Income Assure+. The products provide income protection insurance with a range of cover options to suit specific needs and budgets, making it easier for advisers to help clients protect what’s important to them.

General Manager of Retail Distribution Partnerships, Michael Downey, said, “I’m delighted that both Lee and Justine are joining us. They are highly qualified and experienced insurance industry professionals with a passion for improving our partnerships with advisers and licensees. Their expertise will be important in supporting our strategic direction and to deliver on the promises we make to our customers and business partners.”

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