Acenda Group appoints Chris de Bruin as inaugural chief executive
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The news: Chris de Bruin will be the first chief executive to lead Acenda Group when the merger of Acenda, formerly MLC Life Insurance, and Resolution Life Australasia is completed later this year.
The context: Nippon Life Group announced it would fully acquire Resolution Life in December 2024 and that once the deal is completed it would merge with MLC Life Insurance, which it already owned.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval but is expected to be completed in the second-half of 2025. De Bruin will commence in the group chief executive role following regulatory approval.
He replaces current Acenda chief executive Kent Griffin and current Resolution Life Australasia chief executive Tim Tez, although they will “remain with the company for a period and will support Chris with his onboarding,” according to an Acenda and Resolution Life media release.
De Bruin’s last senior executive role was as Westpac’s chief executive of consumer and business banking before he resigned in 2023. He has since been a senior adviser at Accenture, supporting the company's work with financial services clients.
De Bruin has also held senior roles at United Arab Emirates-based non-bank lender Deem Finance, Canadian FinTech Zafin and Standard Chartered Bank. He was also part of the founding team at South African digital bank 20twenty Financial Services, which was acquired by Standard Chartered.
What they said: Future chair of Acenda Group, Craig Dunn, said “having had the pleasure of working with Chris before, I know the strength of leadership and strategic insight he will bring to the role, and the great passion he has for creating an exceptional experience for both customers and employees alike”.
The source: Acenda and Resolution Life media release
