Rest has appointed Jeremy Hubbard to the role of group executive, innovation and transformation thus completing an internal overhaul of the $50 billion superannuation fund’s leadership team.
The new hire will be the sixth and final group executive to be appointed as part of the restructure, says Vicki Doyle, Rest’s chief executive officer.
Hubbard joins the superannuation fund from UBank where he was general manager, digital and innovation. He has held that position since the digital bank was launched in 2008.
“Hubbard will lead a new team that includes strategy and planning, IT management, innovation, and data governance and will be responsible for charting and executing Rest’s business strategy, and planning the fund’s strategic technology innovation, Doyle adds.
Importantly, she goes on to say, there is a specific group within that team that is devoted to incubating new technology – spearheading the fund’s push to deliver a seamless and consistent experience for members and employers.
“Digital technology and innovation is crucial to how Rest connects with members and employers in ways that matter, and one of our key priorities is to accelerate in these areas and build on our existing digital customer experience offering,” she stated.
Hubbard has played a key role in the deployment of UBank’s financial products, including home loans and transaction accounts, as well as the development of a virtual assistant to assist customers with home loan applications, and a digital personal budgeting tool.
Between 2013 and 2015, he worked with UBank’s parent National Australia Bank.
According to Doyle – who was appointed chief executive of Rest last May – the super fund had already increased the organisation capabilities but streamlining the leadership structure would ensure single point accountability.
“The whole executive team is now better equipped to meet member and employer needs in the future,” she explains.
The other five group executive appointments are: Tyrone O’Neill group executive, member engagement; Brendan Daly, group executive product and operations; Gemma Kyle, group executive, corporate services; Deborah Potts, group executive, employer, industry and engagement; and Trevor Evans, group executive, people and change.
O’Neill is one of the fund’s most recent appointments. Before joining Rest, he held executive positions at Optus, Vodafone Hutchison Australia and Westpac.
Daly also has a strong superannuation and insurance background although he joined Rest from WiPro, the global information technology firm.
When Doyle joined Rest, the superannuation fund had already made big strides in improving customer experience through better digital technology offerings.
The Rest chief notes that 200,000 members now use the Rest app. “Research shows they know which fund they’re with, they roughly know their balance and they log on 4.3 times per month on average,”she says.
According to the Rest chief, the highest users of the app are the pre-pensioners and the pensioners.
