4Meet some of the team

Ando has a growing team of over 340 talented and experienced staff based in our Auckland, Christchurch and Tauranga offices. Many of our team are recognised as leaders in the New Zealand insurance industry.

John Lyon

Chief Executive Officer


John has led Ando’s growth from our start-up roots to now being a well-established presence in New Zealand’s insurance market. As a highly respected leader in the industry, he has been pivotal in building our talented team and strong customer-focused culture. John is passionate about creating an inclusive, vibrant and forward-thinking workplace, which allows our team to drive positive changes in the insurance industry. John is a highly active member in the insurance community, frequently sharing his experience at conferences, as well as exploring the future of insurance.


Dean Edwards

Head of Broker


Dean focuses on driving high-quality customer experiences via state-of-the-art technology and innovative processes. Dean has 25 years’ experience in broking, underwriting and leadership. As an executive with Lumley NZ, Dean was responsible for leading the development and implementation of the broker distribution strategy, a highly successful programme that led to significant growth over five years.

Thérèse Singleton

Chief Operating Officer – Insurance and Risk


Thérèse’s focus is to build Ando’s capacity and skill sets and help chart the course as our business grows. She has extensive leadership and operational experience and is a member of the NZ Financial Advice Code Committee, which has established the new Code of Conduct for Financial Advice for New Zealand. She has spent over 25 years in insurance and prior to joining Ando she was CEO of Resolution Life New Zealand and Chief Claims Officer of Resolution Life Australasia (formerly AMP Life). Thérèse is admitted as a solicitor and barrister of the High Courts of Ireland, England and New Zealand and is currently a member of the NZ Institute of Directors. She has also been recognised as an exceptional female leader in the industry, having received an Insurance Business NZ Elite Women 2022 award.


Brett Cowley

Head of Partner Channel


Brett works with Ando’s business and corporate partners to implement innovative, technology-driven insurance solutions for their customers. Brett’s passion and energy lies in his desire to deeply understand each partners’ business in order to tailor better customer experiences. Brett has been with Ando from the start and was proud to have led the winning pitch that resulted in Ando being chosen as the insurance partner for Kiwibank.

Mike Gardner

Chief Information Officer


Mike focuses on making Ando the first choice for our brokers and partners by creating innovative solutions to traditional challenges. After starting his career in banking at Commonwealth Bank in Australia, Mike has specialised in insurance-related technologies for over 15 years. He has held consulting roles on connectivity solutions with Mercantile Mutual, QBE, Zurich, and Royal & Sun Alliance. Mike also spent a period with Wesfarmers Insurance prior to joining Lumley NZ as part of the Executive team and leading the Technology team as it successfully implemented a current generation insurance platform.


Rebecca Mowat

Head of People


Rebecca has spent close to 20 years working across all facets of Human Resources including recruitment, change management, organisational and personal development, employment relations and culture. She is passionate about helping organisations and people grow, develop and adapt to the changing business world. Pragmatic, professional and commercially astute, Rebecca brings a broad HR skillset to Ando as well as sound experience in health and safety, strategy development and governance.

Chris Knox

Head of Marketing


As well as our Head of Marketing, Chris is a Director of Origami, our brand, communications and customer interaction partner. It’s a partnership that brings branding, digital expertise and true customer-defined thinking to our business. Chris has a successful track record of establishing and running customer focused businesses over the past 25 years.


Michael Hooke

Chief Financial Officer


Michael helps drive and support our business outcomes by working with key stakeholders across Ando to provide financial, commercial and strategic insights and direction. He is a Chartered Accountant and after starting his career in telecommunications, has spent over 15 years in financial services in the UK and NZ where he developed in depth leadership experience. He has expertise in many key financial disciplines, including financial planning and analysis, project and change management, as well as strategy development and execution.

Mathew Jensen

Head of Actuarial & Pricing


In his role as Head of Actuarial & Pricing, Mathew (Mat) plays a pivotal role in ensuring financial stability and shaping the strategic direction of Ando. Armed with a background in actuarial science, his expertise lies in the areas of risk assessment, data analysis and predictive modelling. Under Mat’s leadership, his team is responsible for the analysis of complex data and market trends and providing guidance around optimal pricing structures and risk management strategies. Mat is dedicated to the field and this is reflected in his status as a Fellow of the Actuaries Institute (Australia) and his position on the Council of the NZ Society of Actuaries (NZ).


Julie Smith

Head of Service Delivery – Partner Channel


Julie is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations for our partner channel. She’s worked in the insurance industry for a number of years, primarily managing service delivery teams and partner relationships. Julie’s also been heavily involved in the implementation of new insurance systems, focusing on improving customer and partner outcomes.

Tanya Clews

Head of Claims Partnerships and Services


Tanya is an experienced senior leader and heads up our Claims Partnerships and Services team. Her focus is on delivering a superior claims experience for our customers by working closely with our strategic claims partners to optimise our claims service and solutions. She has an extensive history in handling claims, with over 25 years’ experience across all personal and commercial products, including specialisation in Commercial Motor and bodily injury claims. She was also responsible for leading the Commercial EQ response for Lumley NZ in 2011.


Tony Boon

Head of Claims Operations


Tony’s passion and focus is all about delivering great outcomes for our customers at claims time. He is an experienced leader with over 25 years in insurance and has worked in various direct and intermediated roles. He enjoys developing his team and is excited about implementing significant digital advancements to streamline the claims process, so the team can focus on being there for our customers and partners when they need us most.

Glenn Doidge

Head of Commercial Markets Trading


Glenn is responsible for Ando’s case traded business and our whole of account commercial market propositions. Glenn has been in the industry for over 20 years and has an extensive property underwriting background. His experience includes a period as Senior Risk Advisor at Marsh NZ Placement Services, followed by senior leadership roles with the NZI and Lumley Corporate Trading teams, with a focus on property business and bringing together all lines package propositions.


Jacquelyn Wilson

Head of Personal Lines Portfolio


With over two decades in the insurance industry, including 15 years in the broker market, Jacquelyn (Jax) brings a wealth of expertise to her position. She heads up the Personal Lines Portfolio team, overseeing the growth and sustainability of Ando’s Home, Contents and Private Motor products that are distributed by our broker partners. She understands the unique needs of our broker partners and the importance of fostering enduring relationships with them – particularly as she knows how important they are in creating positive experiences for their clients. Jax is adaptable and forward thinking but what drives her is her passion for making insurance uncomplicated and improving outcomes for
New Zealanders.

Paul Geden

Head of Digital Commercial


Paul is responsible for Ando’s commercial digital platforms and schemes and facilities propositions. Paul has been in the industry for over 30 years and has an extensive digital platform and schemes background. His experience, spanning both Europe and New Zealand in multiple leadership roles, enables a deep understanding of how to help take Ando forward in these segments, utilising both technology and market relationships. Paul’s focus will be to further enhance and develop the commercial digital footprint for Ando and to drive deeper partner engagement and growth for schemes.


David Croskery

Head of Specialty Trading


David leads our Specialty Trading Team who provide Marine & Transit, Professional Indemnity, Directors & Officers and Construction & Engineering insurance solutions to our brokers. David is passionate about growing this specialty business practice by utilising Lloyd’s Syndicates and is excited about what this niche capability can bring to the New Zealand market. Since starting his career in 1988, David has acquired extensive industry experience in broking and underwriting, and also co-founded a specialised marine insurance agency. More recently he was part of the Marsh executive team before joining Ando in 2020.