Naomi Edwards, former chair of Spirit Super, has been appointed a non-executive director at life insurer TAL.
Edwards would also serve on the Audit Committee and the Risk Committee.
A former partner at Deloitte, she had previously served on the boards of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), Australian Ethical Super, and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).
TAL chair, Mark Joiner, highlighted the 35 years of experience in financial services that Edwards brought to the role.
He said: “Naomi is a highly-respected leader of the superannuation and life insurance sectors focused on delivering results for all stakeholders. On behalf of the board, I extend a warm welcome to Naomi and look forward to working with her as TAL executes the next phase of its corporate strategy.”
As chair of Spirit Super until last month, she oversaw Spirit Super’s transformation from $1.5 billion funds under management 12 years ago to $25 billion today.
She was also the 2023 President of the Australian Actuaries’ Institute.
“I have followed TAL’s journey and admired its culture and corporate values and am delighted to be joining the board. I look forward to working with the Board and the executive team led by CEO Brett Clark,” said Edwards.
Super fund mergers are rising, but poor planning during successor fund transfers has left members and employers exposed to serious risks.
The super fund has urged reform of the superannuation performance test to support investment in housing, clean energy, and emerging local industries.
Morningstar expects the Reserve Bank will still make around three cuts in this cycle, bringing the cash rate to a neutral level of around 3 per cent.
Economists have tipped inflation to ease further, but any upside surprise in the June quarter CPI could derail the Reserve Bank’s plans.