Chris de Bruin (pictured) has been named the incoming group chief executive officer of Acenda Group, a newly formed life insurance entity to be established following the merger of Acenda and Resolution Life Australasia.
His appointment is set to take effect after the expected completion of Nippon Life’s acquisition of Resolution Life in the latter half of 2025, subject to regulatory clearance.
The forthcoming integration will create one of the largest life insurers operating in Australia and New Zealand.
Acenda, which recently rebranded from MLC Life Insurance, and Resolution Life Australasia will operate as a combined entity under the Acenda Group name.
De Bruin brings over 25 years of executive experience in financial services. His most recent role was at Westpac, where he led consumer and business banking until late 2023. His prior roles include CEO of Deem Finance in the Middle East and president of fintech company Zafin.
Earlier in his career, de Bruin co-founded 20twenty Financial Services, a digital bank acquired by Standard Chartered, where he subsequently held senior roles across Asia and the Middle East.
Following regulatory approval of the merger, de Bruin will join chair-designate Craig Dunn and a board comprising independent non-executive directors to lead the unified business.
Kent Griffin, current CEO of Acenda, and Tim Tez, CEO of Resolution Life Australasia, will remain in transitional roles to support de Bruin’s onboarding.
Nippon Life president Satoshi Asahi said de Bruin’s appointment aligns with the group’s strategy for regional growth.
“It is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to Mr de Bruin upon his appointment as the new CEO of the Acenda Group. I am confident that he brings the experience and strategic insight essential for steering the organisation through the integration process and beyond,” he said.
Dunn added that de Bruin’s leadership would support alignment across the merged operations.
“On behalf of everyone at the new Acenda Group, I extend a generous welcome to Mr Chris de Bruin as our new CEO. 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,” he said.
Resolution Life founder and CEO Sir Clive Cowdery also commented on the leadership transition, noting that de Bruin is well-placed to lead this next phase.
“This is an important time for the industry in Australia and New Zealand, and Acenda’s customer-focused agenda will greatly benefit from Chris de Bruin’s strategic vision,” he said.
Alongside the executive transition, Acenda has launched a digital solution to collect medical data, designed to streamline life insurance underwriting.
Developed in partnership with EQ Pathology, the platform replaces manual PDF forms with structured online questionnaires that doctors can complete directly. It enables faster, more accurate submission of medical information, allowing advisers to offer timelier decisions to clients.
