New Zealand insurer Fidelity Life has appointed Melissa Cantell as CEO, effective January 25.

Ms Cantell joins Fidelity Life from IAG NZ, where she is COO. Chairman Brian Blake said she was the standout candidate.

“Melissa’s strong executive leadership experience running successful commercial operations and building high-performing customer-centric cultures, across a range of industries, is impressive,” Mr Blake said.

“Her experience leading business transformations and building great customer and people experiences, especially in times of change, are very relevant for the journey we’re on.”

Chief Distribution Officer Adrian Riminton and CFO Simon Pennington have been joint acting CEOs since the resignation of Nadine Tereora in May after more than three years with the business.

Fidelity plans to complete a digital transformation project it started last year, evolve customer and adviser experiences and move to new offices.