Rob Thomas

Senior financial planning industry executive Rob Thomas was yesterday welcomed to the Fitzpatricks Private Wealth by CEO John Woodley.

Mr Thomas takes the newly formed role of Manager, Advice Excellence with Fitzpatricks, Private Wealth.

The appointment comes on the back of recent growth in high quality professional advisers joining the Fitzpatricks Australian Financial Services License (AFSL) and is created to help enrich the group’s integrated support services to all advisers and their clients.

“We are delighted to welcome Rob who is a long-serving and prominent financial services professional having worked in strategic roles for many household financial services and advice brands in Australia. Rob is a welcome senior addition to the Fitzpatricks team,” Mr Woodley said.

“Rob joins at a critical juncture for our firm as we expand operations around the country. Synchronising the high standards of our core advice philosophy, as well as the delivery of the practical technical, governance and advice tools is a key task for Rob in his new role.”

Mr Thomas said he was impressed by the dynamism of the Fitzpatricks business, the quality of the support services and the enablement of high quality advice by giving greater choice to advisers in terms of supporting technology (platform) with an open architecture principle.

“Fitzpatricks has a well-known heritage of putting its client’s interest first. But what has already impressed me, is the advice centred approach, the collegiate culture and the professionalism of the team.

“I am very much looking forward to working with the advisers who make up the Fitzpatricks network and applying my sector knowledge and experience to help further integrate excellence within the core advice offer,” he said.

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Roger has been a valuable member of the TAL Board of Directors since August 2011 and has been the chair of the Risk Committee and served on the Audit and Compliance Committee.

He made a real contribution to the success of TAL through a very difficult time for the life insurance industry in Australia.

TAL Chairman Rob Thomas said: “Roger ‘s past experience as Head of Life at Munich Re Life Australia greatly assisted our insurance risk management and governance framework.

“He was highly respected by his fellow Directors and TAL management. We really appreciated his contribution and friendship and enjoyed his company. He will be greatly missed.”

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Dai-ichi Life made the announcement late yesterday in Japan.

TAL Chairman Rob Thomas said the appointment recognises the importance of Dai-ichi Life’s Australian operation TAL and the role it can play potentially in the success of the global group, which has major interests across Asia, Europe and Northern America.

“Jim’s elevation to Executive Officer of Dai-ichi Life, one of the biggest life insurance companies in the world reflects not only on Jim’s business acumen and depth of experience, but on the success of the TAL and Dai-ichi Life relationship more broadly,” Mr Thomas said.

“This signals the expectation that TAL will be playing a significantly bigger role in Dai-ichi Life strategy implementation as the group expands its footprint for future growth. It also recognises the strong and mutually beneficial relationship between the two companies which has seen TAL double in size since Dai-ichi Life first invested in 2008.”

Mr Minto said: “I am delighted to be involved with Dai-ichi Life at the Executive Management Board level to help ensure the future success of Dai-ichi Life and TAL. We want to further build on the successful relationship we have developed since 2008, which has resulted in benefits not only to Dai-ichi Life but also to TAL customers, business partners and our employees.”

“TAL Life looks forward to playing an even bigger role within the Dai-ichi Life group as we strive to provide our customers with life insurance solutions that give them peace of mind through financial protection of what they have created in their lives already and for the future they dream of.”

TAL’s parent company, Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Limited, was established in 1902 and was Japan’s first mutual life insurance company.

Based in Tokyo and now listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Dai-ichi Life is one of the world’s largest life insurance companies with total assets of US$379 billion (as at 31 March 2013). Last year it paid US$29 billion in benefits and claims.

When TAL was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (then as TOWER Australia), Dai-ichi Life had acquired a significant shareholding before in 2010 making a takeover offer for the company which in 2011 then became a whole owned subsidiary of the Japanese company.

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