The AIA Australia Board oversees all of AIA Australia.
AIA Australia Board
AIA Health Insurance Board
Our Executive
AIA Australia Board
Peter Yates AM
Chair & Independent Non-Executive Director
FTSE FAICD BCom (Melb), Master of Science (MGT) (Stanford), Doctorate of the University (Murdoch)
Peter was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Australia Limited on 4 May 2010 and as Chair of the Board in May 2021. He is a member of the Board Audit Committee, the Board Risk & Compliance Committee and the Board Remuneration Committee.
He is also a Director of Linfox Australia Pty Ltd and Mutual Trust Pty Ltd. He is Chairman of the Royal Institution of Australia, the Australian Science Media Centre, the Faculty of Business and Economics at Melbourne University, the Shared Value Project, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology at UNSW, the Australia Japan Business Cooperation Committee and the Australian Strategic Capabilities Accelerator.
Until 2019, Peter was Deputy Chair of The Myer Family Investments Ltd. He has been a Director of the Royal Children’s Hospital and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Asialink, Crown Ltd, Foxtel Ltd, The Nine Network, Ninemsn, Ticketek, Veda Ltd, Oceania Capital Partners Ltd, the National Portrait Gallery, The Melbourne International Arts Festival, Centre for Independent Studies and the Australia-Japan Foundation.
In addition to Peter’s Board roles, he was Managing Director of Oceania Capital Partners and held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited from 2001-2004. Until 2001, he worked in the Investment Banking industry, including 15 years with Macquarie Bank.
In the June 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Peter was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia for service to education, to the financial services industry and to a range of arts, science and charitable organisations and in 2017 was made a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE). He was also awarded the Australian Academy of Science Medal for 2019.
Damien Mu
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Damien Mu is the CEO and Managing Director of AIA Australia, and an Executive Director of AIA Health Insurance.
Damien has more than 25 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry, with management experience spanning life and health insurance, superannuation and investments. Damien’s career at AIA Australia began in 2007, and he was appointed to the role of CEO in 2014. From July 2016 to January 2022, Damien was also CEO of AIA New Zealand.
In 2021 Damien was awarded Insurance Leader of the year at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Insurance Industry Awards. Damien has also been awarded Shared Value Champion at the Shared Value Awards and the Australian Banking & Finance (AB&F) Australian Insurance Executive of the Year in 2018, 2017 and 2016. He holds a number of directorships including as Co-Chair of the Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI) and previously was a Director of the Financial Services Council.
He is passionate about inspiring people to be their best and leading a purpose led organisation that makes a difference and champions ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.’
Leo Grepin
Non-Executive Director
B.Eng (Mechanical) (Hons), M.Sci (Aeronautics and Astronautics)
Leo was appointed to the Board of AIA Australia Limited on 30 March 2022. Leo is the Regional Chief Executive and Group Chief Strategy Officer responsible for AIA Group Limited’s businesses operating in Australia, India and Indonesia as well as leading the AIA Group Strategy and Corporate Development functions.
Leo joined AIA Group in January 2022. Prior to joining AIA Group, Leo was President of Asia for Sun Life. Before joining Sun Life, he worked for Bridgewater Associates, a global hedge fund, where he led the team that managed portfolio construction and trade generation for all the funds. He also spent 15 years at McKinsey & Company and led the global client service teams serving several multinational insurers as Senior Partner.
Jane Harvey
Independent Non-Executive Director
B.Com (Melb), MBA (Melb), FCA, FAICD
Jane was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Australia Limited on 1 January 2022. She is Chair of the Board Audit Committee and is a member of both the Board Risk & Compliance Committee and the Board Remuneration Committee.
Jane is a highly experienced Director, having served on a number of Boards where she has held the position variously of Chair of Audit, Risk and Remuneration Committees. Past listed Boards include Insignia Financial, Medibank Private, DuluxGroup, UGL, David Jones and DUET Finance. Jane has also served on the Boards of BUPA Australia, Colonial Foundation Ltd, Orygen Youth Mental Health, the Alfred Hospital, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, Rural Finance Ltd, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and the Legal Services Board. Jane has also served as a Councillor for the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Vic) and a member of the ASIC Non-Executive Advisory Panel.
Jane is also currently a Non-Executive Director of the Marian & EH Flack Trust.
Prior to developing a portfolio of Board positions, Jane was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Geoff Austin
Independent Non-Executive Director
B.Ec (Actuarial Studies), FIAA, FFIN, MAICD
Geoff was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Australia Limited on 26 November 2019. He is Chair of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee and is a member of both the Board Audit Committee and the Board Remuneration Committee. Geoff also serves as an Independent Director of AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd.
In addition to his roles with AIA Australia, Geoff is currently a non-executive Director of Lendi Group Pty Ltd. Prior to AIA Australia’s acquisition of CommInsure, Geoff was Chair of CommInsure as well as a member of the CommInsure Audit Committee and Risk Committee. Geoff also spent 7 years on the Board of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd.
Geoff has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry, having worked at MLC and the Commonwealth Bank in a variety of roles, including actuarial, product management and distribution management. During his time at the Commonwealth Bank. Geoff held several Executive General Manager roles, including in Financial Planning and Advice Services, Mortgage and Investments, Lending, and Retail Products.
Jane Perry
Independent Non-Executive Director
B.A (Macq), B.Sci (Macq), Dip.Ed
Jane was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Australia Limited on 18 March 2024. She is a member of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee, the Board Audit Committee, and the Board Remuneration Committee.
Jane is currently a director of the QIC Limited board, where she serves on the Risk and Audit Committees.
Previous Board roles include membership of the Westpac BT Financial Group Superannuation boards, including Chair of the Insurance Sub-Committee, National Mutual Superannuation, National Mutual Staff Superannuation Plan and J.P. Morgan Nominees Australia Limited. Jane has also served on industry associations and not-for-profit boards, including as Chair of the Fund Executives Association Limited (FEAL), the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra and the Victorian Arts Centre Trust.
Prior to undertaking non-executive directorships full-time, Jane was the Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Super.
Biswa Misra
Non-Executive Director
B.Eng (Electrical)
Biswa was appointed to the Board of AIA Australia Limited on 1 September 2023. Biswa is Group Chief Technology and Life Operations Officer of AIA Group Limited, AIA Australia’s parent company. He is also director of various companies within AIA Group.
Biswa joined AIA Group in June 2013 and is responsible for providing leadership to the Group’s technology, digital and analytics plus life operations areas.
Prior to joining the Group, Biswa served as the Regional Chief Technology Officer for ING Insurance Asia Pacific. Previously, he spent six years with information technology consulting firm Capgemini, leading the company’s insurance practice for Asia.
AIA Health Insurance Board
AIA Health Insurance is a wholly owned subsidiary of AIA Australia. The AIA Health Board oversees the AIA Health Insurance business.
Elizabeth Flynn
Chair & Independent Non-Executive Director
LL.B, Grad.Dip.AppCorpGov, FGIA, FCG, FAICD, FFin
Elizabeth Flynn was appointed as an independent Director of AIA Health Insurance on 31 August 2020 and also serves as Chair of the Board. She is a member of the Board Audit Committee and the Board Risk and Compliance Committee. From 2011 to 2024, Elizabeth also was an independent Director of AIA Health Insurance’s parent company, AIA Australia.
Elizabeth’s other Directorships include as an independent Director of Insignia Financial Limited (and several subsidiaries). She has previously been a Director of ESSSuper and AIA New Zealand.
Prior to this, Elizabeth was Chief Legal Counsel, Group Company Secretary and Group Compliance Manager at Aviva Australia and also practiced as a commercial lawyer at MinterEllison, specialising in financial services.
Damien Mu
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Damien Mu is the CEO and Managing Director of AIA Australia, and an Executive Director of AIA Health Insurance.
Damien has more than 25 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry, with management experience spanning life and health insurance, superannuation and investments. Damien’s career at AIA Australia began in 2007, and he was appointed to the role of CEO in 2014. From July 2016 to January 2022, Damien was also CEO of AIA New Zealand.
In 2021 Damien was awarded Insurance Leader of the year at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Insurance Industry Awards. Damien has also been awarded Shared Value Champion at the Shared Value Awards and the Australian Banking & Finance (AB&F) Australian Insurance Executive of the Year in 2018, 2017 and 2016. He holds a number of directorships including as Co-Chair of the Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI) and previously was a Director of the Financial Services Council.
He is passionate about inspiring people to be their best and leading a purpose led organisation that makes a difference and champions ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.’
Stuart A. Spencer
Director and Group Chief Marketing Officer
Stuart is a member of the Group Executive of AIA Group Ltd, responsible for the Group’s marketing initiatives, customer propositions and AIA Vitality. He is a director of various companies within the Group. Stuart re-joined AIA in May 2017 from Zurich Insurance Group, where he was most recently the interim CEO, Asia Pacific. Prior to that he was Chief Executive Officer, General Insurance, Asia Pacific for Zurich Insurance from 2013 to 2016. Stuart was with the American International Group from 1996 to 2009, during which time he held a number of senior positions including leading their Accident & Health General Insurance operations in Latin America and the Caribbean and President – Accident and Health Worldwide. Stuart was also the Global Head and COO, Worldwide Life, Accident & Health, for Chubb Insurance. He is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Brandeis University.
Geoff Austin
Independent Non-Executive Director
B.Ec (Actuarial Studies), FIAA, FFIN, MAICD
Geoff was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Australia Limited on 26 November 2019. He is Chair of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee and is a member of both the Board Audit Committee and the Board Remuneration Committee. Geoff also serves as an Independent Director of AIA Health Insurance Pty Ltd.
In addition to his roles with AIA Australia, Geoff is currently a non-executive Director of Lendi Group Pty Ltd. Prior to AIA Australia’s acquisition of CommInsure, Geoff was Chair of CommInsure as well as a member of the CommInsure Audit Committee and Risk Committee. Geoff also spent 7 years on the Board of the Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society Ltd.
Geoff has over 30 years’ experience in the Financial Services industry, having worked at MLC and the Commonwealth Bank in a variety of roles, including actuarial, product management and distribution management. During his time at the Commonwealth Bank. Geoff held several Executive General Manager roles, including in Financial Planning and Advice Services, Mortgage and Investments, Lending, and Retail Products.
Hoa Bui
Independent Non-Executive Director
B.Ec, FIAA, GAICD
Hoa was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Health Insurance on 30 August 2021. She is the Chair of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee, and a member of the Board Audit Committee.
Hoa is also a Member of the Audit and Finance Board Committee of Australian Retirement Trust. Previous Board roles include as Chair of the Actuaries Institute and as a Director of KPMG Actuaries.
Hoa was previously Partner in Charge of Actuarial and Financial Risk at KPMG, and also held roles at Tower Australia, AXA and National Mutual. She has significant experience as a consultant, including acting as the Appointed Actuary for Westpac Life and St George Life, and as Actuarial Auditor for Munich Re (Life), Suncorp Life, Asteron Life, St Andrews, OnePath Life and Asteron NZ.
Melanie Kiely
Independent Non-Executive Director
B. BusSci (Hons), GAICD
Melanie was appointed as an Independent Director of AIA Health Insurance on 15 March 2021. She is the Chair of the Board Audit Committee, and a member of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee.
Melanie is also a Non-Executive Director of National Disability Services Australia. Her previous Board roles include as a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Finance Group, the Black Dog Institute and the Hunter United Credit Union.
Melanie is currently the Chief Executive Officer of MSWA (formerly the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Western Australia), which provides vital support and services to people living with neurological conditions in Western Australia. Prior to this, Melanie has had an extensive career spanning financial services, health and general insurance, aged care and disability. Melanie’s extensive health insurance experience includes roles as Chief Operating & Technology Officer at NIB, Executive General Manager GMF Health at HBF, and Group Executive – Strategy at MBF Health Fund.
Our Executive Committee
Our Executive Committee is made up of industry-leading figures from a diverse variety of professional backgrounds, collectively equipping AIA Australia with the expertise and leadership qualities to drive sustainable growth of the business.
Damien Mu
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Damien Mu is the CEO and Managing Director of AIA Australia, and an Executive Director of AIA Health Insurance.
Damien has more than 25 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry, with management experience spanning life and health insurance, superannuation and investments. Damien’s career at AIA Australia began in 2007, and he was appointed to the role of CEO in 2014. From July 2016 to January 2022, Damien was also CEO of AIA New Zealand.
In 2021 Damien was awarded Insurance Leader of the year at the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) Insurance Industry Awards. Damien has also been awarded Shared Value Champion at the Shared Value Awards and the Australian Banking & Finance (AB&F) Australian Insurance Executive of the Year in 2018, 2017 and 2016. He holds a number of directorships including as Co-Chair of the Council of Australian Life Insurers (CALI) and previously was a Director of the Financial Services Council.
He is passionate about inspiring people to be their best and leading a purpose led organisation that makes a difference and champions ‘Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.’
Susan Turner
Chief Financial Officer
Susan Turner is AIA Australia’s Chief Financial Officer, leading the Finance & Actuarial function, and bringing more than 20 years of experience in senior finance leadership roles within the banking, wealth, investment management and insurance industries.
Having started her career at Zurich, Susan has since worked in senior CFO and COO roles at complex and evolving organisations, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Westpac. In her previous role as Executive Director, Central Operations at The University of Sydney, Susan led a team of over 480 people, overseeing the management of more than 600 contractors who deliver operational services across all campuses.
Susan has a proven track record of driving successful growth strategies to help businesses transform, and a passion for helping deliver exceptional experiences for customers, partners and people.
Sam Tremethick
Chief Partnership Distribution Officer
Sam has over 20 years’ experience in the life insurance sector, specialising in the retail distribution of life insurance, investment and superannuation products. He joined AIA Australia in August 2012, and has held various roles across Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
In he’s current role is responsible for the distribution of our retail insurance products through Financial Advisers and our Bancassurance partner. He also holds the responsibility for growing AIA Health in Australia.
Before rejoining the AIA Australia team in October 2022, Sam was the Chief Partnership Distribution Officer for AIA New Zealand, and prior to that he was Regional Head of High Net Wealth and IFA for AIA Group based in Hong Kong.
Sam holds a Bachelor of Business and a Masters of Business Administration, both from RMIT University in Melbourne.
Anna Livingston
Chief People & Culture Officer
Anna is AIA Australia’s Chief People & Culture Officer, with more than 20 years of experience championing people, inclusion and diversity, both in Australia and overseas.
Before joining AIA, Anna held the role of Chief Diversity and People Officer with Tennis Australia, with responsibility for 4,000 team members as well as driving the organisation's award-winning inclusion and diversity efforts. Previously, Anna refined her strategic human resource skills across automotive manufacturing, property development and FMCG industries, and achieved qualifications in HRM and Industrial Law.
Anna is passionate about creating a high-performance culture and an inclusive work environment where everyone feels safe to share views, ideas and be their authentic self.
Stephanie Phillips
Chief Shared Value and Marketing Officer
Stephanie Phillips is AIA Australia’s Chief Shared Value and Marketing Officer. Stephanie has more than 30 years’ experience in the Australian financial services industry spanning operations, claims, client relationship management, shared value and wellbeing.
Stephanie originally joined AIA Australia in October 2009 and was appointed Head of Group Insurance in early 2010, in this position she played an instrumental role in developing and growing the company’s Group Insurance business market share.
Stephanie later joined AIA’s regional head office in Hong Kong to take on the role of Director - Group Corporate Solutions, where she was responsible for supporting and developing AIA’s Group Insurance businesses across the Asia region. After returning to Australia, Stephanie was appointed AIA Australia’s Chief Group Insurance Officer - a role she held for six years.
In June 2021, Stephanie was appointed as Chief Shared Value and Marketing Officer in which she is responsible for further developing and shaping AIA’s shared value proposition.
Gerry Schipper
Chief Risk Officer
Gerry Schipper is currently the Chief Risk Officer for AIA Australia. He is responsible for Risk & Compliance.
Gerry is a qualified lawyer and a chartered accountant. He has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services.
Gerry joined AIA in August 2010 as Head of Group Internal Audit. He built a team of internal auditors to serve the needs of AIA as the largest Pan-Asian life company. In this role he was responsible for leading a team of around 160 internal auditors in the 18 countries where AIA has operations.
Gerry has worked extensively with the Risk & Compliance function of AIA Group in the upgrade of its operational risk framework, and the implementation of a group-wide automated risk and controls system.
Gerry joined Deloitte in South Africa in 1991, and in addition to South Africa and Hong Kong, has worked in Luxembourg and Australia. Before joining Deloitte, he lectured commercial law at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Sander Van Den Berg
Chief Technology Officer
Sander van den Berg is the Chief Technology Officer of AIA Australia. Sander joined the AIA Group in 2020 as Group Head of Data Platforms & Data Governance, where he managed the implementation of a Group-wide data governance and data quality program and initiated the Group AI strategy. During this time, he also acted as interim Chief Technology Officer for AIA Hong Kong.
Sander has over 20 years’ experience in insurance operations, technology transformations and outsourcing across the U.S., Europe and Asia. He began his career with IBM in the Netherlands in the mid-1990s before moving to London to join CGI in 1998, in his first global business management role. He later returned to the Netherlands, joining DXC to lead its Dutch Financial Services Business Unit, and subsequently became part of the global strategic insurance accounts team where he was responsible for the executive relationships with two global tier one insurers. In 2011, Sander moved to Hong Kong to assume responsibility for the Asian operations of the global strategic insurance accounts.
Several years with PwC and Deloitte followed, during which Sander advised international insurers on strategy, finance, distribution, operations and technology transformations. Prior to joining AIA, he was a Partner at Deloitte, leading its insurance technology practice.
Sander holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
Kristy Redfern
General Counsel
Kristy Redfern is AIA Australia’s General Counsel and leads AIA’s award-winning legal team. Kristy has 19 years of experience in a variety of leadership, law, executive and governance roles. She is qualified to practice law in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and is a Chartered member of the New Zealand Institute of Directors.
Kristy has worked within the financial services sector, sport, insurance and energy sectors across Australasia, United Kingdom and the Middle East. Kristy has also served as a Director on the Boards of Hockey New Zealand and the Financial Services Council as well as being an Executive Director of AIA.
As a former international hockey player, Kristy is passionate about making a difference and helping people live healthy, active lives. Born and bred on a farm in New Zealand, Kristy is now based in Melbourne with her husband Fraser and their two children.
Marianne Hutchinson
Chief of Strategy, Innovation and Data
Marianne is responsible for developing and overseeing AIA Australia’s strategic priorities, supported by a mature data operating model and insights.
Marianne has more than 20 years’ experience leading high-performing consultancy teams and delivering transformational change within financial services across Australia, New Zealand and Europe, specifically within the insurance sectors.
Prior to joining AIA Australia, Marianne worked at Accenture for more than 10 years in program delivery, account management and practice lead roles, including the Insurance Go-to-Market Lead for Australia and New Zealand. This role involved working with a number of Accenture’s local and global insurance clients helping to deliver on innovative digital and growth strategies to enter new markets, digitise the customer experience and transform operations using new technology.
Anthony Clough
Chief Group Insurance Officer
Anthony was appointed as AIA Australia’s Chief Group Insurance Officer in 2023. Since joining AIA in 2014, he has held a number of roles across group insurance, including strategic partnerships, enterprise growth, and corporate distribution.
Anthony’s background is in product development, and he has a keen interest in ensuring the propositions of the future are more greatly aligned to partner and customers’ needs. Anthony is a sponsor of AIA’s work on sustainability and his ambition is to be a change agent for the industry to ensure greater engagement in insurance, better customer outcomes driven by digital enhancements, improved claims service and product development which provides long-term sustainable outcomes, while meeting customers’ needs.
Anthony holds an honours degree in Economics from The University of Northumberland.