APRA appoints new Executive General Managers

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) today announced two new senior appointments to the positions of Executive General Manager of the Diversified Institutions Division and Executive General Manager of the Supervisory Support Division.

The current Executive General Manager of the Supervisory Support Division, Keith Chapman, has been appointed to the role of Executive General Manager of the Diversified Institutions Division. He replaces Wayne Byres who was recently appointed Secretary General of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in Switzerland.

The Diversified Institutions Division is responsible for the prudential supervision of more than 250 functionally diverse financial institutions. These include large financial conglomerates, banks, insurance companies and superannuation firms.

Mr Chapman joined APRA at its establishment in 1998 and has held a variety of senior roles at APRA in both supervision and policy development areas. He has also represented APRA as a member of the Technical and Financial Stability Committees, and various other subcommittees, of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.

Prior to APRA's establishment, Mr Chapman was Deputy Commissioner for Superannuation at the Insurance and Superannuation Commission.

The new Executive General Manager of the Supervisory Support Division is Helen Rowell, APRA's current General Manager of Policy Development.

The Supervisory Support Division comprises a range of specialist and technical teams whose collective role is to provide expert advice, analysis and other support to the frontline areas of APRA responsible for prudential supervision of regulated entities. The Division also contains APRA’s enforcement unit.

Mrs Rowell joined APRA in 2002 as General Manager, Industry Technical Services and has held other senior roles including General Manager, Diversified Institutions Division. She is the current chair of APRA's (cross-divisional) general insurance industry group.

Mrs Rowell has represented APRA at various subcommittees of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors. She also represents APRA on the Joint Forum Working Group that has recently completed its review of the Principles on the Supervision of Financial Conglomerates.

Prior to joining APRA, Mrs Rowell was a partner at the international consulting firm Towers Perrin; she is also a Fellow and past President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.