Asteron Life has appointed a new Appointed Actuary, Principal Underwriter and Claims Team Manager as it builds specialist capability ahead of its 2027 rebrand as Acenda Life.

Asteron Life has strengthened its technical and operational leadership with the appointment of three experienced insurance professionals across actuarial, underwriting and claims roles.

The appointments support Asteron Life's continued growth strategy and commitment to delivering strong outcomes for customers, advisers and partners as the business prepares to become Acenda Life in 2027.

Experienced actuary joins executive team

Asteron Life has appointed Marco Welgemoed as its new Appointed Actuary, commencing September 30. Welgemoed joins from AIA New Zealand, where he served as Appointed Actuary for the past seven years. He brings extensive actuarial leadership experience, having also held senior actuarial roles at Sovereign in New Zealand and with major insurers in South Africa.

Asteron Life Chief Executive Officer Grant Willis said the appointment reflected the importance of strong actuarial leadership as the business continues to grow.

"Welgemoed will play a critical role in supporting our future growth and strategic priorities," Willis said.

Underwriting expertise to support growth ambitions

Asteron Life has also appointed Sian Johnson to the role of Principal Underwriter, Commercial and Affinity, commencing in September. Johnson brings more than 25 years of experience in New Zealand's life insurance industry and combines deep clinical knowledge with extensive insurance expertise. Throughout her career, she has held senior underwriting leadership positions and developed significant capability in complex medical underwriting, risk assessment and product development.

Willis said Johnson's appointment supports Asteron Life's ambition to expand adviser relationships, develop new affinity partnerships and explore new product opportunities. Johnson's technical expertise will strengthen underwriting capability while supporting future growth initiatives.

Claims leadership strengthened

In the claims function, Asteron Life has appointed Salesh Narayan as Claims Team Manager. Based in Auckland, Narayan joins from leadership roles at Fidelity Life and Chubb Life, where he led operational and claims teams and delivered service and performance improvements.

Willis said Narayan's strong customer focus and leadership experience would further strengthen the organisation's claims capability.

"Narayan has a genuine passion for customer outcomes and customer centricity. I look forward to the contribution he will make to our wider claims whānau," Willis said.

Investing in capability for the future

The appointments come as Asteron Life continues to invest in specialist capability across key areas of the business.

Together, the appointments bring deep expertise in actuarial governance, underwriting excellence and claims leadership at a time when the life insurance sector is navigating significant change, increasing customer expectations and ongoing industry transformation.