Allianz Retire+ has appointed Brendon Rodda as chief distribution officer for wealth management.
In this role, he will be responsible for leading the retirement specialist’s distribution strategy for the wealth management arm of the business, including overseeing national sales efforts, technical services and platform relationships.
Prior to joining Allianz Retire+, Rodda was the executive vice president at PIMCO where he worked for nine years and oversaw its global wealth management distribution strategy. He also worked as an associate director at Macquarie for four years and as a senior investment specialist at nabInvest Capital Partners.
Allianz Australia Life Insurance CEO, Adrian Stewart, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Brendon to the Allianz Retire+ team. As an experienced leader within financial services, he offers a range of expertise across disciplines which will enhance our growth strategy.”
The firm launched its Allianz Guaranteed Income for Life (AGILE) strategy in February 2023 as a way to provide certainty to retirees with a guaranteed income without sacrificing accessibility. This followed a push by APRA under the Retirement Income Covenant (RIC) in July 2022 for financial firms to develop innovative retirement products.
This is currently available to 4,678 financial advisers across 26 licensee approved product lists; Allianz Retire+ has also partnered with HUB24.
Speaking to Money Management last year, Simon Aboud, chief product and marketing officer, said: “The Retirement Income Covenant has undoubtedly shone a spotlight on retirement and pulled into sharp focus the need for greater innovation with retirement income products.
“Specifically, the RIC has identified what objectives retirement products need to address, key issues for retirees such as maximising retirement income, managing risk and delivering flexible access to savings.”
In November, it appointed Catherine van der Veen and Lucy Foster as heads of group retirement solutions – client delivery, joining from Challenger where they led customer strategy.
The pair jointly manages client relationships, onboards key partners, and oversees the implementation of new clients as the institutional arm of the business grows.
