Benger joins pharmacists

Respected industry figure Brian Benger has been appointed managing director of the general insurance and financial services arm of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Respected industry figure Brian Benger has been appointed managing director of the general insurance and financial services arm of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia.

Called Guild Commercial, this arm has a team of four financial plan-ners and a superannuation fund targeted at pharmacists, vets and other healthcare professionals. It has 18,000 members and $85 million under administration.

“This business has terrific upside and I have been given the chance to lead it forward. Watch this space,” Benger says.

He notes that he is happy to finally be at the helm of an organisation, rather than being first mate in a big company with all its politics.

His first two challenges are a major Internet project and to sort out the Guild Bank offer to a 5000 strong chain of pharmacies.

Benger spent 15 years in a variety of roles at National Mutual, the last of which was as chief executive officer of distribution where he had 1200 aligned advisers under him.

In February this year, he walked away from a brief but high profile ap-pointment at GIO with what is understood to be a seven digit pay out.

“I could see that a number of the functions I was responsible for would be merged into the broader AMP and I just moved on,” he says.

Just prior to joining Guild Commercial, he did some consulting work for an Internet-based financial services business.