Naomi Ballantyne, Managing Director Partners Life, has announced the passing of Chris Coon who died following a long illness.
In a statement, Ballantyne says: “For those of you who never had the pleasure of meeting and working with Chris, either at Sovereign or in the early years of Partners Life, you missed something special.
“Chris was the person who forever changed the New Zealand life insurance market – first as the co-founder of Sovereign and then alongside his brother Richard and I as co-founder of Partners Life.
“He brought the New Zealand industry into modern times with modern products and pricing structures and created a market where IFAs became important and appreciated.”
Ballantyne says Chris was an exceptionally intelligent actuary, “…extremely kind and very funny”.
Ballantyne was his first employee at Sovereign.
“He gave me as a very young girl, the opportunity of a lifetime to create a brand-new company – something that has set me up for the career that I have been blessed to have,” she says.
“He taught me almost everything I know about life insurance – he was always so generous with his time and with sharing his knowledge.
“While Chris retired from working in our business many years ago, his presence is everywhere in our business and will continue well into the future.”