Partners gets a new chairman

A Kiwi who used to run Tower Health and Life has taken over from Sam Knowles as the chairman of Partners Life.

Thursday, January 26th 2017, 12:21PM

Partners Life has appointed well-known Australasian industry personality Jim Minto as its new Chairman.

He will replace Sam Knowles who has decided to step down from the role. Knowles will stay on as a director for both Partners Life and Partners Group Holdings.

Partners Life founder and managing director Naomi Ballantyne says Minto has been a prominent presence in Australia’s and New Zealand’s life insurance industries for more than three decades.

“Jim Minto has long been an industry stalwart that I have huge admiration and respect for. His longevity and success in the life insurance industry, coupled with his reputation for leadership based on principles and values, makes him a perfect fit for Partners Life.

“We owe a significant debt of gratitude to Sam Knowles for his chairmanship throughout our start-up phase and I am very pleased to now have access to the wise counsel and support of both of these gentlemen,” she said.

Minto says he is looking forward to working with Ballantyne and the team at Partners Life as they build on the company's growth and valuable partnerships with advisers.

"It is 10 years since I have directly worked in New Zealand, but the connection has always been a strong one for me. I am looking forward to being part of this very good New Zealand success story, which I have been watching with great interest from Australia over the past few years.

"I have always believed that life insurance delivers tremendous value for people and it has a great social purpose by giving people dignity in times of illness and bereavement. Partners Life plays a key role in doing that for New Zealanders and I am proud to be part of it," says Mr Minto, whose previous roles include Managing Director of Tower Trust NZ, Tower Managed Funds, Tower Health and Life New Zealand, chief executive of Tower NZ and Australia and CEO of Tower Limited. He was CEO of TAL, the largest life insurer in Australia, from 2006.

The former executive officer of Dai-ichi Life Japan also played an active role across a range of industry bodies before retiring from his executive career in 2015 to concentrate on significant governance roles.

Tags: Partners Life