MLC Life Insurance has appointed Chris Porter, former Executive Manager for Operations at MTAA Super (now Spirit Super), as its new Head of Fund Partnerships.

Starting in the role this week and based in Sydney, Chris will report directly to Emily Wu, General Manager, Fund Partnerships at MLC Life Insurance. As part of the restructure announced late last year, the Group Insurance team is now a separate, standalone function headed up by Mark Puli who is reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer Rodney Cook.

Chris has deep experience in the superannuation industry, having spent nearly 13 years working at MTAA Super as an executive running the administration and operations business unit. A key remit of this role was the management of the life insurance offering to members. During this time, Chris played a leading role in advising the CEO and Board on business strategy and made a significant contribution to industry working groups during his career. Prior to MTAA, Chris held relationship management roles at Superpartners and AON.

Mark Puli, Chief Group Insurance Officer, MLC Life Insurance said:

“Chris is a well-respected and admired leader in the superannuation industry, and we welcome him to our team. Chris has significant experience in the sector, and I’m confident will play a key role in strengthening our partnerships with superannuation funds this year.

“I believe we are poised to grow our presence in the market and take on the more dominant players in group insurance. Now that we are a separate, standalone function, and backed by strong talent, experience, and support from Nippon Life, we are confident we can support the needs of growing superannuation funds”.

Mark Puli was appointed Chief Group Insurance Officer in December 2021. He has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services. Most recently he was the CEO at ESSSuper since 2011, after initially joining the fund in 2009 as Chief Financial Officer. He has held senior roles at Aviva Australia, Merrill Lynch Investment Management and Mercer. His expertise includes superannuation, investment platforms, funds management, strategy and product development.

Chris Porter, Head of Fund Partnerships, said:

“I’m thrilled to be joining MLC Life Insurance at this important time. I look forward to building our partnership capability this year and, ultimately, to support our group insurance offering to funds and their members.”