A sneak peek of MPA’s exclusive in-depth interview with Siobhan Hayden
A sneak peek of MPA’s exclusive in-depth interview with Siobhan Hayden
This morning our sister paper Australian Broker broke the news that Siobhan Hayden, has been appointed the MFAA’s new CEO. The appointment of Hayden, previously of IT-provider Finware, brings to an end the 12-year stint of Phil Naylor, and as such her plans are attracting considerable interest.
MPA also got an opportunity to sit down with Hayden, for our ‘Head-to-head’ interview, which you can read in issue 14.12, out 10th November. If you can’t wait that long, here’s a sneak peek of what we discussed:
Whilst she’s waiting for member feedback, Hayden has a few opinions on challenges to the broker channel, which she shared with us. Diversification was her main concern; “it’s been consistently talked about, how we best introduce that to businesses, aggregators are trying to support their members in that way, and I think the body should be committed to supporting our customers in that way”. She also mentioned technology and consumers going to internet based comparison sites as additional challenges.
Read MPA’s exclusive Head-to-head interview with Siobhan Hayden in issue 14.12, on desks 10th November. Also look out for MPA/Australian Broker’s joint video interview in your inbox later today.
This morning our sister paper Australian Broker broke the news that Siobhan Hayden, has been appointed the MFAA’s new CEO. The appointment of Hayden, previously of IT-provider Finware, brings to an end the 12-year stint of Phil Naylor, and as such her plans are attracting considerable interest.
MPA also got an opportunity to sit down with Hayden, for our ‘Head-to-head’ interview, which you can read in issue 14.12, out 10th November. If you can’t wait that long, here’s a sneak peek of what we discussed:
Initial plans
Hayden has a clear idea of what her first few months will involve: she wants to put out an online survey to MFAA members “giving us an aggregate view of general responses, and the hot topics I’d like to focus on”. That’ll be followed by a series of workshops with members across the country, discussing the survey’s results. Hayden’s personal goal is “about 10% of our members attending.” Feedback will go into a ‘strategic plan’ for the MFAA to implement.Industry experience
As MFAA chief, Hayden is expecting the criticism that comes with the role. But she feels that accusations of inexperience would be unwarranted: “in Finware, my most recent role, albeit as a business owner, has been out in the market with my clients; my customers… I sit in front of fifteen brokers, or 30 brokers in a boardroom, that have 70 financial planners attached to them.” Hayden feels she has already earned the industry’s respect: “the best compliment I’ve ever received is ‘how long have you been a broker for?’, when I’ve never actually been a broker.”
Challenges to the industry
Whilst she’s waiting for member feedback, Hayden has a few opinions on challenges to the broker channel, which she shared with us. Diversification was her main concern; “it’s been consistently talked about, how we best introduce that to businesses, aggregators are trying to support their members in that way, and I think the body should be committed to supporting our customers in that way”. She also mentioned technology and consumers going to internet based comparison sites as additional challenges.Read MPA’s exclusive Head-to-head interview with Siobhan Hayden in issue 14.12, on desks 10th November. Also look out for MPA/Australian Broker’s joint video interview in your inbox later today.
