CIO

Movers and shakers: Vince Warnock of Cigna and Anika Grant of Ecosystm

Mike Hendriksen and Elliot Smith join Kiwibank; Peter Thomson​ moves to Perceptive
Vince Warnock of Cigna (right) at a CIO forum in Wellington

Vince Warnock of Cigna (right) at a CIO forum in Wellington

Vince Warnock steps up from digital marketing manager to chief marketing officer at Cigna New Zealand.

Over the past three years, his work has led to a number of recognitions for Cigna, including the 2018 Webaward for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development, from the Web Marketing Association, and the IAC award for Best Insurance Integrated Ad Campaign in 2018. Warnock was also recognised as one of the top 50 marketing leaders in the world as a 2018 Fearless50.

“Cigna is known for leading the way with customer solutions in the digital space, I am looking forward to continuing to disrupt our markets with more market leading customer solutions,” says Warnock.

Warnock’s appointment makes for a seamless transition, says Gail Costa, Cigna New Zealand CEO. “We are excited to watch Vince take Cigna New Zealand’s presence to new heights, helping to empower our customers to make educated decisions on their insurance needs.”

Vince Warnock
Vince Warnock

At a recent CIO breakfast in Wellington, Warnock talks about how his team creates “powerstorm sessions” to discuss projects. He says these meetings are an excuse to get people from different parts of the business to get together. So frontline staff and salespeople meet with compliance and legal teams, IT, marketing and communications.

These sessions occur in a "safe zone”, where all ideas are welcome, says Warnock. “No idea is a stupid idea. There are stupid ideas out there, but we celebrate those, as well."

Anika Grant
Anika Grant

Anika Grant, global HR leader at Uber, joins Ecosystm as board advisor. Grant leads the Global HRBP team for Uber's core business, and was previously APAC and ASEAN HR director at Accenture.

“The future of work is global, and overcomes borders – I look forward to sharing my insights with the team, and supporting their growth as an international, multicultural organisation, able to disrupt and bridge divides within the research industry,” says Grant.

Amit Gupta
Amit Gupta

Commenting on the appointment, founder and CEO at Ecosystm Amit Gupta, says, “With a business model built on the principles of accessibility, transparency, and autonomy, having a diverse pool of talent who are constantly engaged is an imperative for Ecosystm. 

“Her guidance will help us instill and drive a culture that reflects our values as we continue to expand globally.”

Peter Thomson
Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson is now director of strategy at customer intelligence agency Perceptive.

He came from online investment platform, Snowball Effect, where he was head of marketing. 

“Perceptive has a strong core intelligence capability and is considered to be the ‘intelligence hub’ of the Clemenger Group,” says Thomson.

“I am looking forward to being a part of a team that has the firepower to perform rigorous research and use science and analytics not just as window dressing, but as a part of their DNA. There are a lot of NZ brands that have so much data about their customers but they don’t know what to do with it. My objective is to guide our clients to use this data more effectively, by creating and implementing a plan of action based on Perceptive’s valuable insights.”

Mike Hendriksen
Mike Hendriksen

Mike Hendriksen is now chief legal officer, and Elliot Smith is chief strategy and innovation officer at Kiwibank.

Steve Jurkovich, Kiwibank CEO, says he is looking forward to the leadership experience the pair would bring to the New Zealand-owned bank’s executive committee.

“Mike Hendriksen is a highly qualified barrister and solicitor who has specialised in financial services for many years. He’s made the great decision to leave an Aussie-owned bank and join the local team,” says Jurkovich.

“In particular, Mike will bring in-depth knowledge of regulatory issues. He’s been deeply involved in the response to the findings of the Australian Royal Commission that sparked both the FMA and RBNZ’s review of banking conduct and culture. 

"Mike will be instrumental in helping Kiwibank consider our own changes – both in response to the changing expectations of our stakeholders, and for our own local regulators, who understandably want to see evidence of great customer outcomes.

 Elliot Smith
Elliot Smith

“Elliot's background is in relationship banking, corporate finance, and product and business model transformation. Kiwibank is at an exciting and critical point. The financial industry is facing disruption and Elliot has an excellent understanding of how to make the most of those opportunities, from the perspective of the customer, our bankers and the implications on the Kiwibank strategy.

“Both Elliot and Mike bring a wide range of skills and experience that make them ideal for Kiwibank’s next phase of growth, which will see us have much bigger impact on the New Zealand banking markets," says Jurkovich.

Steve Jurkovich
Steve Jurkovich

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