Rest appoints Group Executive, Employer and Industry Engagement following restructure

Rest has announced the promotion of Deborah Potts to the newly-created role of group executive, employer and industry engagement, following a restructure of the $51 billion fund's executive team.

In this role, Potts - who joined the fund in November 2015 and was appointed national manager, advice in 2017 - will lead the newly-formed employer and industry engagement function with a focus on Rest's employers, as well as industry associations, the fund said. The new role will also encompass Rest Advice, relationship management and business development, and service delivery and employer channel management.

Potts is joined by fellow promotee, Trevor Evans, who has been appointed as group executive, people and change.

Commenting on both appointments, Rest CEO, Vicky Doyle, who joined the fund from AMP in May 2018, said: "These new enterprise-wide group executive roles support the continued delivery of an outstanding experience for our members and employers and of Rest's culture of innovation."

She added: "I am delighted to congratulate Deborah and Trevor on their new roles, which are key in building Rest's culture of innovation and in helping us connect with working Australians in ways that matter."

The two new roles are the first of a total of six newly-created group executive roles that will lead Rest's new internal working groups, Rest confirmed. The new working groups are employer and industry engagement, people and change, product and operations, innovation and transformation, corporate services and member engagement.

"The formation of the new working groups under the leadership of interdependent Group Executives will drive outstanding member experience and enable collaborative and end-to-end oversight of member and employer engagement, design and product and operations execution," Doyle added.

Rest has also confirmed that the roles of general manager, customer service, held by Beth Parkin; general manager, strategic relations, held by Craig Hobart general manager, transformation and technology, held by Sandra Coleman; chief financial officer, held by Chris Stevens; and general counsel and company secretary, held by Paul Howard, have been made redundant.