Michael Rice, Actuary and Founder, Rice Warner

Michael Rice is an actuary who is regarded as one of Australia’s leading experts in superannuation and retirement incomes.  In 1987, Michael founded Rice Warner which was sold to Deloitte in May 2021.  During his career, Michael specialised in providing advice to superannuation funds and other parties within the financial industry.

He undertook pioneering research into Age Pension dependency and trends.  He has a keen interest in the integration of social security and superannuation, as well as measuring the adequacy of retirement incomes.

He was Chairman of QSuper’s Investment Committee from January 2009 to June 2013 and remained an independent investment expert on the committee until March 2016.  He is currently a non-executive director of ipac Asset Management limited and is an expert independent consultant to the Member Outcomes and Insurance Committee for Super SA.

He is a former Councillor of the Actuaries Institute, was convener of the Actuaries Institute’s Public Policy Committee from 2014 to 2019, and continues to volunteer for the Institute. He was awarded Actuary of the Year for 2017.

In the 2020 Australia Day honours, Michael received an award of Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for his “distinguished service to business and economics, particularly to the actuarial profession, and through advisory roles.”

Fintan Thornton, Head of Institutional Solutions, Allianz Retire+

Fintan leads the Allianz Retire+ institutional business. He is responsible for co-developing partnerships with superannuation funds. Fintan is an actuary and has worked in both actuarial consulting and senior executive super fund roles during his 22+ years in financial services. With both Australian and international experience, Fintan was superannuation actuary to the RBA, New Zealand Government and several industry & corporate superannuation funds.

In addition to his executive role, Fintan is a non-executive director and Deputy Chair of CBHS Health Fund, the third largest profit-for-member private health insurer in Australia.

Fintan holds a Bachelor (Hons) of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics degree, is a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a member of the Actuaries Institute Retirement Incomes Working Group.

Xavier O'Halloran, Director, Super Consumers Australia

Xavier O'Halloran is the founding Director of Super Consumers Australia. He is a consumer advocate whose role it is to keep industry and regulators focussed on the needs of consumers in financial services markets. He works with a team of consumer finance experts to better understand how people engage with these markets and how these markets can be designed to meet consumer expectations. He is excited by cutting through spin and making the complex simple, so everyone can confidently make decisions about their financial well-being. Previously, he worked at the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) as a Policy Officer working on telecommunications consumer protection and competition policy.

He also led the team responding to the Financial Services Royal Commission at CHOICE, Australia’s largest consumer advocacy group. Xavier has represented consumers on several government and industry advisory bodies. He also developed an online ‘chat bot’ to help younger people engage with their super.

David Haynes, Senior Manager, Policy, AIST

As AIST’s Senior Policy Manager, David has spent the last 12 years working closely with Parliament, Government, Treasury, all regulators and other stakeholders in developing and implementing all aspects of superannuation policy, including all regulatory changes and major projects including MySuper, SuperStream, Financial Services Royal Commission changes, Protecting Your Super and Your Future Your Super.

David has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services including as CEO of Industry Fund Services and AUSfund; an executive at Members Equity; an account manager at a major superannuation administrator; and as a trustee of superannuation funds (including the predecessor of UniSuper).

David holds a parallel role as an executive with the IQ Business Group. He has also been a director of numerous private and public sector boards.