HCF Life Board

Catherine M. Hallinan
BA (Hons), MBA, SF Fin, FAICD
Non-Executive Director

Ms Hallinan joined the Board of HCF Life in June 2011, was appointed Chair in October 2019 and is also a member of the Audit & Finance Committee and the Risk & Compliance Committee. She was appointed to the Board of HCF in February 2019 and is a member of the Audit & Finance Committee, the Risk, Compliance & Sustainability Committee, the Nomination Committee and the Investment Committee. She also joined the Board of Flip Insurance Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of HCF Life Insurance Company Pty Ltd) in April 2021.

Ms Hallinan has extensive expertise across the financial services industry, spanning insurance, investments, banking, strategy and planning and mergers and acquisitions.

She is currently a director of Insurance Manufacturers Australia, SCOR Global Life Australia and St.Catherine’s Aged Care Services, and has previously served as a non-executive director at Lawcover Insurance Pty Limited and as Chair of Gateway Bank. Her former executive roles included General Manager, Wealth Strategy at St.George Bank and General Manager, Investment Management & Life at Zurich Australia.

John M. Barrington
BComm, LLB, GDAFI, FAICD
Non-Executive Director

Mr Barrington was appointed to the Board of HCF in November 2014 and as a Director of the Corporate Trustee of the HCF Research Foundation in April 2017. Mr Barrington is Chair of the HCF Risk, Compliance and Sustainability Committee and a member of the Audit & Finance Committee and the Nomination Committee. He was Acting Managing Director of HCF between March and July 2017. He was appointed to the Board of HCF Life Insurance Company Pty Limited in February 2019, is Chair of the HCF Life Risk & Compliance Committee and a member of the HCF Life Audit & Finance Committee.

Mr Barrington was the Principal of Barrington Legal, a law firm located in Sydney, with more than 40 years in practice specialising in insurance law, superannuation, banking and finance. He was formerly General Counsel for the National Mutual Life Association, Chief Executive of CUNA Mutual Limited and Mutual Community Limited. Mr Barrington served as Chair of Intrinsic Value Investment Limited and Albert Court Aged Care Edgecliff. Until January 2017, he was Chair of Meridian Lawyers and a Director of Guild Group Holdings.

Mr Barrington has extensive experience (both strategically and operationally) in financial services and private health insurance, in particular relating to financial oversight, regulatory requirements, policy frameworks and governance. He has previously served as a Council Member of the Private Health Insurance Administration Council (PHIAC).

Mr Barrington brings a unique perspective given his background of advising clients, working in organisations subject to complex regulatory requirements and providing regulatory oversight in a senior governance role within a regulatory body.

Sheena G. Jack
BA (Acc), CA, GAICD
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director

Ms Jack was appointed as Managing Director of HCF in September 2017, having held the position of Chief Executive Officer since August 2017. She was appointed as a Director of HCF Life in August 2017 and a Director of the Corporate Trustee of the HCF Research Foundation in September 2017. Ms Jack also joined the Board of Flip Insurance Pty Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of HCF Life Insurance Company Pty Ltd) in April 2021.

As Chief Financial Officer at HCF from 2006, Ms Jack led the acquisition and successful integration of Manchester Unity. In 2014, she was appointed Chief Strategy Officer and was responsible for the development of HCF's Strategy, and strategic roadmap for the business. Focussed on driving innovation, she established HCF Catalyst, Australia's first corporate-backed health technology accelerator.

As Managing Director, Ms Jack introduced a new business line in Overseas Visitors Health Cover, launched a new loyalty program HCF Thank You, driven increased focus on our member experience and delivered the largest program of work in HCF’s history, a systems transformation project which will enable us to transform HCF’s way of doing business.

Ms Jack has more than 30 years' experience as a corporate executive across various industries and extensive experience across business transformation.

Ms Jack is also a Director of Private Healthcare Australia and the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, and is a member of Chief Executive Women.

Mark G. Johnson
BComm, FCA, CPA, FAICD
Chair, Non-Executive Director

Mr Johnson was elected Chair of the Board of HCF in July 2019, having been a Non-Executive Director since November 2013. Mr Johnson is also Chair of the HCF Nomination Committee and a member of the Investment Committee. He also joined the Board of HCF Life in November 2023.

He has previously served as CEO and Asian Deputy Chair for PwC from June 2008 until July 2012. Prior to becoming CEO, he held a number of leadership positions in PwC Australia including National Managing Partner – Businesses, Managing Partner of the Assurance line of service, Managing Partner Assurance and Business Advisory Services and leader Consumer and Industrial Products. In these roles he served on a number of global firm committees.

Mr Johnson is currently a Director of Goodman Limited, Goodman Funds Management Limited, Boral Limited, Aurecon Limited, Metcash Limited and Sydney Airport Corporation Limited. In the community he is a member of the Council of UNSW Sydney.

He was on the Board of The Smith Family until November 2023, on the Board of Partners of Corrs Chambers Westgarth until March 2022, Chairman of G8 Education Limited until November 2021, a Director of Coca-Cola Amatil Limited until May 2021, Westfield Corporation Limited until June 2018, Chair of the Advisory Board to Willis Towers Watson in Australasia until December 2016 and a Director of HSBC Bank Australia until April 2017.

Mr Johnson was a member of the Australian Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, the Business Council of Australia (and of its Healthy Australia Taskforce) and was Deputy Chair of the Finance and Reporting Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Annette King
FAICD, FIAA, BEcon (Actuarial)
Non-Executive Director

Ms King was appointed to the Board of HCF in November 2022 and is a member of the Nomination Committee. In July 2023 Ms King was appointed to the Board of HCF Life. In September she was appointed as a member and Chair of the HCF and HCF Life Audit & Finance Committees and as a member of the HCF Risk, Compliance & Sustainability Committee and the HCF Life Risk & Compliance Committee.

Ms King is an experienced non-executive director with extensive experience across financial services and technology in Asia-Pacific, serving member organisations, large private companies (ASX100 equivalent), rapidly-growing technology companies and not-for-profit organisations. She has chaired committees for audit, risk and compliance, people and culture, nominations and has been a member of investment, insurance and other committees. She has prior experience as a CEO of a Significant Financial Institution. Her passion is serving businesses with sustainable growth through differentiated client and member experience and digital/technology/data enablement. She is a qualified actuary, and formerly served as the President and Chair of the Actuaries Institute.

Ms King has over 30 years’ experience in financial services across Asia-Pacific. Prior to becoming a non-executive director, she had a successful track record as a CEO, CFO and Chief Marketing Officer and VP of Client Centricity of significant financial institutions, as well as being a founder/entrepreneur. Ms King has served large, highly-regulated multi-national companies (Swiss Re, AXA, Manulife, Mercer, MLC Superannuation) and innovative fintech companies (AFG, FNZ, Galileo Platforms). Her focus is on business growth through differentiated client and member experience, organisational culture and innovation via data, digital and technology enablement.

Her career commenced in a mutual, member-owned organisation and she has served on member organisations in the non-for-profit sector in Australia and Singapore, as well as being a (fiduciary) trustee director on superannuation funds with 2 million members and $200 billion in assets. In addition to responsibilities in Australia and New Zealand, Ms King has lived and worked for 14 years in Asia in both executive and non-executive director roles.

She currently serves on the boards of Swiss Re, Australian Finance Group (ASX:AFG) and U Ethical Investors. Her previous boards include MLC Superannuation, FNZ wealth management technology and Chair of Galileo Platforms. She was President of the Life Insurance Association of Singapore, served on the Singapore Actuarial Society and the Hong Kong Advisory Committee for the AICD.

She is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and has a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University, majoring in actuarial science. She is a member of AICD’s APRA Forum and a member of Chief Executive Women.