The key appointments follow the recent acquisition by Resolution Life Australasia.
Grant Willis.
Asteron Life New Zealand has announced key appointments to its board and leadership team following the recent acquisition by Resolution Life Australasia.
As announced in February 2025, Asteron Life will be led by Grant Willis as chief executive Asteron Life New Zealand, and the business will be overseen by the Asteron Life Board, chaired by Simon Tyler. The board will comprise of independent directors Rachel Walsh and Julia Raue as well as directors Tim Tez and Keith Taylor.
Key additional appointments to the leadership team include Kristy Redfern as chief risk officer, Stefan Azzopardi as chief financial officer and Catherine Henshall as interim appointed actuary.
Redfern joined Asteron Life in February 2025 as chief risk officer. She brings extensive legal and corporate services experience across Australia, New Zealand, and London and most recently held the position of general counsel and company secretary for AIA Australia.
Azzopardi will join as CFO of Asteron Life in March 2025. He is an accomplished senior executive with deep domestic and international experience through C-suite positions. His most recent role was CEO of Donaldson Brown Insurance Brokers and, prior to that, chief finance and risk officer at Southern Cross Health Society.
Henshall has been appointed as appointed actuary while an external search continues for the permanent position.
Scott Jensen has also been appointed as acting executive manager, claims and customer solutions pending a recruitment process commencing for the permanent role. He has deep claims experience with the team and has been in senior claims roles with Asteron Life for nearly five years.
Asteron Life chair Simon Tyler commented: “These appointments provide Asteron Life with a robust governance structure and a strong management team to lead the business through this exciting new phase and continue to deliver its strategic growth agenda.”
Asteron Life New Zealand CEO Willis commented: “Kristy, Stefan, and Catherine bring a wealth of experience that will bolster the strength and expertise of our existing leadership team, and it is great to see Scott step up to the acting role. I am very much looking forward to their input as we continue to grow our incredible business and transition into one of New Zealand’s largest life insurance businesses.
“Our focus remains on our policyholders, people, and strong adviser relationships as we progress our integration. We remain committed to providing them with market leading products and services.”
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