Canada Life has appointed Alice Watson as head of home finance within its retirement business and Kris Black as head of annuities.
In the newly created roles, Kris and Alice will each take responsibility for the end-to-end product and proposition life cycle and strategy for the annuities and home finance product lines respectively.
Kris was previously head of commercial within retirement at Canada Life, where he led the pricing teams for both annuities and home finance. Prior to joining Canada Life, he held senior roles at Willis Towers Watson and Aviva.
Alice (pictured) was previously head of B2B marketing at Canada Life. In her most recent role, she was responsible for defining and implementing the marketing strategy and plans that support the UK business strategy across retirement, protection, wealth and asset management. Prior to this, she held several roles within the home finance product line, focusing on customer insight, proposition development and adviser support.
Alice’s appointment will take effect upon her return from maternity leave at the end of Q2.
Pete Maddern, managing director of retirement at Canada Life, said: “The retirement business is a critical component of Canada Life’s long-term success and Kris and Alice’s appointments reflect the investment we are making to strengthen our team to deliver our ambitious strategy.
“Growing customer demand and regulatory change is creating significant opportunity in both the annuities and home finance markets and these new roles will ensure we are well positioned to turn this opportunity into sustainable growth.
“Having worked with both Kris and Alice for a number of years, I am confident their leadership expertise and deep knowledge of the retirement market will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our proposition and deliver for our customers.”
Alice Watson commented: “I am excited to lead our home finance business as we look to innovate and build on Canada Life’s strong track record in this space. Having joined the industry nearly two decades ago I’ve seen first-hand how much the later life market has evolved, and how products like equity release can make a real difference to customers lives.
“As more of us live longer and an increasing share of people’s wealth is held in their property, it’s vital that we continue to develop flexible options that help customers’ to fund their retirement.
“Advisers are central to this, and I’m committed to ensuring we give them the support, insight and propositions they need to help customers make informed choices, tailored to their individual needs.”
Kris Black added: “I am delighted to be moving into a role where I can help shape the next phase of growth of our market leading annuity business.
“It is an exciting time for the annuity market, with premiums at record levels since pension freedoms were introduced and more people recognising the value of secure, lifelong income.
“As the retirement landscape in the UK continues to evolve, guaranteed income solutions will play a critical role in helping customers manage risk and plan with confidence.
“I am looking forward to working with colleagues and partners across the industry to develop propositions that offer customers clarity, value, and peace of mind during retirement.”
