JANA appoints new Head of Insurance Strategy
- Written by Icon Agency
Australia’s largest investment consulting firm JANA has created a new role of Head of Insurance Strategy, appointing Greg Wilkinson to lead expanded insurance advisory services across the sector.
Mr Wilkinson has been promoted internally to lead the servicing of JANA’s insurance client base in a significant expansion of the firm’s advisory services.
JANA chief executive Jim Lamborn said demand for its services had been growing across the insurance sector and the new role would provide additional, specialised support to clients.
“Greg’s appointment will enhance our capability to provide support and solutions for our insurance clients,” Mr Lamborn said. “It will enable our clients to benefit from the depth of JANA’s expertise and deliver stronger investment results.”
The expansion of JANA’s insurance focus is in response to the increasingly complex needs of the sector, which is facing lower premium revenue and increased potential claim experience. These challenges are exacerbated by COVID-19 leading to further reductions in forward-looking returns from many asset classes. This is particularly pertinent for insurers who rely on investment returns from traditional defensive assets, such as fixed interest and cash, to support their businesses.
JANA’s total assets under advice is over $600bn. Alongside some of Australia’s leading insurers, JANA’s clients include many of Australia’s biggest Superannuation funds, Government bodies, Universities, Long service leave funds, Charities and Foundations.
Mr Wilkinson joined JANA in 2014 and is currently a Senior Consultant and a member of JANA’s Global Equities Research Team. He has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, including 16 years as a consulting actuary in the UK and Australia prior to joining JANA.
“I am delighted to have been appointed as JANA’s Head of Insurance Strategy,” said Mr Wilkinson. “In this role I will be leading a team drawing on JANA’s extensive research and asset management capabilities to build upon our already well-established health insurance portfolio and expand our capabilities for the benefit of the Australian insurance market, including life and general insurers.
“Our insurance strategy will focus on enhancing our support for clients through investment strategy, asset allocation and manager selection.”
Mr Lamborn added, “We have been advising the insurance market since 2004, and our current insurance clients have over $9bn in assets under management. We have created the Head of Insurance Strategy position to allow us to build the support we provide to our clients. Greg’s appointment and industry expertise will deliver significant uplifts in our capability in regulatory advice, digital solutions and modelling support to our clients.”
About JANA
JANA is Australia’s largest investment consulting organisations and a trusted and respected partner of many of the country’s leading institutional investors. Since its inception in 1987 it has expanded its reach to around 100 institutional clients. JANA is majority staff owned and independently managed.
Total assets under advice as at 31 December 2019 are over $600bn.
For more information, please visit: https://www.jana.com.au.
