Asteron Life has strengthened its technical and operational leadership capability with the appointment of three experienced insurance professionals across claims, actuarial, and underwriting leadership roles.
The insurer says it has appointed Marco Welgemoed as its new Appointed Actuary; Sian Johnson to the role of Principal Underwriter, Commercial and Affinity and Salesh Narayan as Claims Team Manager.
Asteron Life says the appointments support its “…continued growth strategy and commitment to delivering strong outcomes for customers, advisers and partners as the business prepares to become Acenda Life in 2027.” (See: Asteron Life, Resolution Life to become Acenda Life).
Welgemoed joins from AIA New Zealand, where he has served as Appointed Actuary for the past seven years. The insurer says he brings extensive actuarial leadership experience, having also held senior actuarial roles at Sovereign in NZ and with major insurers in South Africa.
Asteron Life CEO Grant Willis says the appointment reflects the importance of strong actuarial leadership as the business continues to grow. “Marco brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Asteron Life and will play a critical role in supporting our future growth and strategic priorities.”
Sian Johnson brings more than 25 years of experience in New Zealand’s life insurance industry and “…combines deep clinical knowledge with extensive insurance expertise. Throughout her career, she has held senior underwriting leadership positions and developed significant capability in complex medical underwriting, risk assessment and product development.”
…the appointment supports Asteron Life’s ambition to expand adviser relationships, develop new affinity partnerships and explore new product opportunities
Willis says her appointment supports Asteron Life’s ambition “…to expand adviser relationships, develop new affinity partnerships and explore new product opportunities.”
Johnson’s technical expertise is expected to strengthen underwriting capability while supporting future growth initiatives.
…his strong customer focus and leadership experience will further strengthen the organisation’s claims capability
In the claims function, Narayan, based in Auckland, joins from leadership roles at Fidelity Life and Chubb Life, where he led operational and claims teams and delivered service and performance improvements.
Willis says his strong customer focus and leadership experience will further strengthen the organisation’s claims capability.
“Salesh has a genuine passion for customer outcomes and customer centricity. We are excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to the contribution he will make to our wider claims whānau.”
The insurer says the appointments come as Asteron Life continues to invest in specialist capability across key areas of the business.
“Together, the appointments bring deep expertise … at a time when the life insurance sector is navigating significant change, increasing customer expectations and ongoing industry transformation,” it says.