People: TOWER Ltd (TWR.NZ)

Mr. Rob A. Flannagan, ACA, OPM (Harvard), AMInstD, JP, is Group Chief Executive Officer, Group Managing Director and Group Executive Director of Tower Limited. He was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of TOWER New Zealand in October 2006. His appointment was a key milestone as in November 2006 TOWER moved to separate its New Zealand and Australian businesses with Rob assuming leadership of the New Zealand business. In March 2008, Rob was appointed to the Board and now holds the position of Group Managing Director. From a professional perspective, Rob is a qualified chartered accountant, a graduate of Harvard Business School and serves as a Justice of the Peace. His experience in senior management positions has been both within and outside of the financial services industry and he has also been a key participant in the formation and start up of a number of businesses. He was a partner of Arthur Young Chartered Accountants until 1981 and was an in-demand guest lecturer for Auckland University’s MBA Programmes. Rob was co-founder of Medic Aid, a medical insurance company which at its time became the second medical insurer after Southern Cross. Subsequently, his senior executive roles have included Managing Director of the New Zealand Guardian Trust Company Ltd as well as serving as Director of Group Initiatives for Royal Sun Alliance responsible for coordinating Group Strategic Planning, E-Business, Marketing and Communications, Group Purchasing, Risk Management and Group Projects. Rob was appointed CIO of Royal & Sun Alliance.