Life insurer AIA NZ is recruiting for a new head of investments in a role currently held by Matt Mobbs.
An AIA spokesperson said Mobbs “has indicated a desire to take on a different challenge, so we are currently recruiting externally for the role”.
He joined the insurance firm three years ago as head of investments after almost two years serving as chief operating officer for NZ Fintech.
Previously, Mobbs spent more than five years at ASB in senior market risk management positions.
According to the AIA specs, the job includes ensuring “our investment portfolio aligns with both local policyholder interests and AIA Group’s investment framework” as well as overseeing internal and external managers.
In 2023, the life insurer appointed Smartshares (now Smart) as underlying manager for its $500 million legacy investment-linked book with Trustees Executors (TE) as administrator. TE has since sold most of its fund administration business to Apex while announcing plans to close the remaining registry function late in February.
AIA named two new senior executives in January, appointing former Aegis wrap head, Angela Busby, as chief distribution officer, and promoting Maddie Sherlock to chief customer officer.
Nick Stanhope, AIA NZ chief, was previously head of then ASB life insurance subsidiary, Sovereign – the entity that also spawned Aegis.
Prior to Sovereign, Stanhope spent more than 20 years at ASB, ending his bank-time as head of wealth.
Meanwhile, Fisher Funds has hired another ASB veteran, Jonathan Symons, as marketing general manager to fill duties previously carried out by David Buell.
Symons joins Fisher from TVNZ where he spent the last six months of his more than 10-year, mostly marketing, career at the government-owned broadcaster as cost transformation director.
He finished a 14-year stint at ASB in 2009 as head of marketing.
Buell arrived at Fisher last August from the NZX-owned QuayStreet, initially as general manager growth – with responsibilities for external distribution channels – before also assuming marketing duties.
He returns to a sole focus on growing third-party business for Fisher, according to a spokesperson.
The previous Fisher head of marketing, Marcus Wild, left the business last July in the wake of a restructure devised by freshly appointed chief, Simon Power.
Wild resurfaced last month as chief client officer for the fast-growing, adviser-supported Aurora Capital KiwiSaver scheme.
Last week Aurora switched on a new ‘member portal’
“This new portal is more than just an upgrade, it’s about empowering Kiwi with the right tools, insights, and support to take control of their financial future,” Wild said in a statement.
The new front-end technology also paves the way for “future enhancements that will further integrate Aurora’s forward-thinking investment approach, focused on climate impact with cutting-edge digital solutions”, the release says.
Founded in 2021 by former AMP Capital head of multi-asset, Sean Henaghan, and Simon Rolland, Aurora has since grown to house almost 14,000 members and about $380 million.
The scheme was initially sold exclusively via the associated Aurora Financial network controlled by Rolland. Last year, the Haven mortgage and insurance network bought Aurora Financial, rebranding it as Enva.