As Australia celebrates Women’s History Month, HBF board member Diane Smith-Gander AO has remained on top of the insurance career ladder by taking on the role of HBF chair.
Smith-Gander joined the HBF board as a director in May 2020. She has extensive experience in leadership roles, including being the current chair of Zip Co Limited (ZIP) and DDH1 Limited (DDH), the non-executive director of AGL Energy Limited (AGL), the national chair of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), and a director of WA Government home lender Keystart Loans. Previously, she was a director at Wesfarmers Limited (Wesfarmers) and CBH and the chair of Safe Work Australia.
Smith-Gander is an advocate for gender equality and the former president of Chief Executive Women. In the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours, she was named Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) to celebrate her distinguished service to business, women’s engagement in executive roles, gender equality, and the community. She has also been awarded an Honorary Doctor of Economics by the University of Western Australia, where she is an adjunct professor in corporate governance.
Smith-Gander will replace Tony Crawford, who will step down as HBF chair in May 2022 and retire from the board.
Commenting on his departure, Crawford said it had been a privilege to serve as the 80-year-old organisation’s chair as it continues to strengthen its position while looking after its members during one of the most challenging periods of change.
“I am proud of what we have achieved during this time, but none more so than knowing our members have been at the core of every decision we have made,” he said. “I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow directors for their support, John Van Der Wielen and the executive team for their leadership in driving HBF’s growth, and all our employees for their dedication and hard work.
“Diane’s depth of experience and proven track record make her an excellent selection as chair and is ideally placed to lead HBF through the next phase of its growth strategy.”
Smith-Gander thanked Crawford for leading the board over the years, including endorsing HBF’s growth strategy and ensuring the company maintains a member-centric philosophy while adapting to the evolving COVID-19 situation.
Commenting on her appointment, Smith-Gander said: “HBF is an iconic brand in WA that is having great success in evolving into a truly national private health insurer, growing to around 1.2 million members and expanding into health services such as dental and physiotherapy. I am honoured to be trusted to take over as chair at this exciting juncture for HBF.”
