Leadership

Mr Mead was appointed Group Managing Director of Australian Unity Limited on 1 July 2004. As Group Managing Director, he is a member of subsidiary boards and most committees. Mr Mead is chairman of the Business Council of Australia’s Healthy Australia task force and a member of its Indigenous Engagement task force. He is also a director of the Business Council of Co-Operatives and Mutuals Limited (BCCM) and the Centre for Independent Studies.

Prior to joining Australian Unity, Mr Mead was employed by Perpetual Trustees Australia Limited (1996-2003) in a range of senior roles.

Mr McCoy joined Australian Unity in April 2012 and became Chief Executive Officer—Independent & Assisted Living in July 2017. His previous roles at Australian Unity included Chief Financial Officer, Group Executive—Strategic Business Development and Deputy CFO —positions that have seen him hold responsibility for the effective execution of strategic initiatives, treasury, capital management and organisation-wide performance measures.

Prior to joining Australian Unity, Mr McCoy had a successful consulting relationship with the company, having project managed the merger with Grand United in 2005, the sale of the General Insurance business in 2007 and the merger with Big Sky Credit Union in 2012. Mr McCoy’s other major consulting clients included Westpac, where he managed the merger with St George in 2008, the IPO of BT Investment Management in 2007, the acquisition of RAMS in 2007 and the sale of the bank’s Custody business to HSBC in 2006. Mr McCoy is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and is also an accredited project management professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.

Ms Kerr-Smith joined Australian Unity in September 2017. Ms Kerr-Smith is Chief Executive Officer for Wealth & Capital Markets for the Australian Unity Group. Ms Kerr-Smith is responsible for all of Australian Unity’s financial services and investment activities, spanning investment management, advice, trustee services, life and superannuation, as well as the Group’s property, development and capital management activities. Ms Kerr-Smith is also a board member of many of its operating entities.

Prior to joining Australian Unity in 2017, Ms Kerr-Smith’s previous experience covers financial services, infrastructure and human services design and delivery. Ms Kerr-Smith was a senior executive with the National Disability Insurance Agency—leading the market stewardship and commissioning functions, and has held senior roles at strategy consulting firm Boston Consulting Group and within Macquarie Group’s infrastructure division.

Ms Yates joined Australian Unity in August 2020. She is CEO of the Australian Unity Retail platform, which brings together Australian Unity’s private health insurance, banking, and general insurance and broking businesses. Ms Yates is a Director of Australian Unity Bank Limited and Australian Unity Health Limited. 

Prior to joining Australian Unity Ms Yates had an extensive career as a banking executive with over 25 years’ experience across investment and institutional banking, private banking, wealth management and insurance. Ms Yates began her career at Deloitte as a Chartered Accountant before moving to the banking industry.  Prior to joining Australian Unity she was the Chief Customer Office for Private, Wealth and Insurance at BNZ, a subsidiary of the NAB Group. 

Mr Mann joined Australian Unity in April 2012. Mr Mann is currently the Group Executive—Finance & Strategy and Chief Financial Officer, having previously been the Deputy Head of Finance and Group Treasurer. Mr Mann has oversight of the Group’s statutory, management and tax reporting along with treasury and capital management.

Prior to joining Australian Unity, Mr Mann worked in the United Kingdom for ten years on large scale migration projects for Lloyds TSB, Royal Bank of Scotland and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

Mr Mann commenced his professional career becoming a Chartered Accountant while working at KPMG Melbourne and also Foster’s Group Limited.

Ms Melinda Honig joined Australian Unity in February 2016. In her role as Group Executive, Governance, Ms Honig is responsible for managing the Group’s Legal, Compliance, Risk, and Secretariat function. She is also secretary for all Group subsidiary boards.

Prior to joining Australian Unity, Ms Honig worked for GE for 15 years, five of those years with GE Capital in the role of General Counsel, overseeing the provision of legal services to GE Capital’s commercial finance, consumer finance and insurance businesses in Australia and New Zealand. Ms Honig brings to Australian Unity her executive experience in legal, compliance and company secretary functions and has worked abroad as Counsel for GE Indonesia, in operations which included transportation, energy and GE Capital. Prior to joining GE, Ms Honig was at KPMG for 5 years and undertook her legal training in Tax at KPMG.

Ms Bowden joined Australian Unity in February 2017. Ms Bowden led the Group's transformation agenda to reshape the enterprise operating model, putting the customer front and centre and driving new and more efficient ways of working. In September 2018, Ms Bowden was appointed to Group Executive, People & Culture. She is responsible for leading the Group's people function including culture and capability, performance and remuneration, workplace health and safety, shared services and internal communications. Ms Bowden also leads the Group's inclusion and diversity, workplace giving and employee wellbeing strategy.

Prior to joining Australian Unity, Ms Bowden was the Director of People Solutions Group Pty Ltd, a boutique consulting firm focused on operating model design and transformational change. Ms Bowden brings to Australian Unity diverse industry experience, having successfully led people functions in complex, commercial environments in banking, insurance, media and healthcare. Previous clients and employers include News Limited, Suncorp, ANZ and Ramsay Health Care.