Anglican Financial Care (AFC) has appointed Margaret Bearsley as their new Chief Executive to oversee the Anglican Church’s provider of financial products that include the Christian KiwiSaver scheme and this Church’s clergy Pension Fund.

Chair of Anglican Financial Care, the Very Rev Lawrence Kimberley says that the Board is delighted to welcome their newly appointed CE,

“I am excited that Margaret will be leading the Anglican Financial Care team. She is a well-respected and proven Chief Executive who has a strong track record delivering strategic and operational progress, while developing a culture focused on care and service.”

Margaret Bearsley comes to AFC with a strong record of senior executive level legal and regulatory roles. 

From 2017 to 2020, she served as manager of the Corporate Secretariat of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), where she supported the ACC board and committees, including its superannuation scheme Investment Committee which oversees a $52 billion fund. Margaret’s work with ACC principally dealt with governance and regulatory compliance, regulatory policies, and reporting on regulatory issues.

After seven years as a lawyer for the Takeovers Panel – which is the New Zealand government's principal regulator of the corporate takeovers market – Ms Bearsley led the Takeovers Panel for six years as its CEO. As CEO she regularly dealt with complex issues related to financial services and capital markets.

Margaret Bearsley brings an understanding of Anglican Financial Care’s church constituency as a committed Catholic and a graduate in theology from Holy Cross College and the University of Otago’s Bachelor of Theology programme.

Margaret Bearsley’s legal studies to gain her LLB from Waikato University included a strong focus on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and she is interested in Māori understandings of spirituality.

Margaret Bearsley will succeed current Chief Executive Mark Wilcox, who will continue to lead Anglican Financial Care as its Chief Executive through till September 2021.

AFC Chair Lawrence Kimberley thanked Mark Wilcox for his leadership, which he says will provide a strong foundation for Anglican Financial Care going forward.

“Mark joined us in 2013 and has led the organisation through a period of significant change, developing a strong commercial discipline during which funds under management have grown by 50% and organisational capacity and capability have been significantly enhanced.”

“I would like to thank Mark Wilcox for his outstanding contribution to AFC over the last eight years.”

Anglican Financial Care’s new Chief Executive Margaret Bearsley will take up her role from 13 September 2021.