At a point when MAS is actively overhauling its operations and technology infrastructure, the New Zealand mutual insurer has moved to fill both its CFO and CTO positions at the same time – bringing in executives from Southern Cross Health Society and MetService respectively.
Janine Kadar (pictured left) will take on the CFO role from August 3, carrying more than two decades of senior finance experience across New Zealand’s insurance and media sectors. Her most recent position was interim CFO at Southern Cross Health Society, where she had oversight of finance, pricing, and analytics while the organisation navigated capital management decisions and internal change. Before that, she held the CFO position at Southern Cross Pet Insurance and senior roles at TVNZ and Air New Zealand. Colin Brown (pictured right), who currently holds the chief digital officer position at MetService, will step into the CTO role also in August. His portfolio at MetService covers product, engineering, infrastructure, security, data, and operations. Over a career spanning more than 30 years, he has held technology and digital leadership positions at Xero and Spark New Zealand.
MAS chief executive Jo McCauley tied both appointments directly to the organisation’s current change programme, framing technology modernisation and financial discipline as the two pillars the programme depends on. “MAS is undergoing a major strategic transformation focused on ensuring we continue to deliver the products, services, and experiences our members expect – both now and into the future. Technology and financial stewardship are both central to that journey. We are investing in modernising our platforms, lifting our digital capability, and strengthening how we manage performance and investment to create a more seamless and connected experience for members,” McCauley said.
On Kadar, McCauley pointed to her track record within membership-based organisations. “Her experience working at an executive level in complex, member-focused organisations will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen MAS's financial sustainability and long-term strategy,” she said. On Brown, she cited his history managing change at scale. “He has led large-scale change in complex organisations and has a strong track record of building high-performing teams and technology environments that enable innovation and growth,” she said.
Kadar said the mutual ownership structure was central to her decision to take the role. “What really drew me to MAS was its genuine long-term focus on creating value for members,” she said. She also pointed to the state of MAS’s finances as a foundation to build from. “I’m looking forward to working with the team to build on MAS’s strong financial foundations, support smart investment decisions, and help ensure the organisation is well placed to deliver long-term value for members as it continues this next phase of transformation,” Kadar said.
Brown said the stage MAS is at in its technology development was a consideration. “MAS has a strong reputation for genuinely putting members at the centre of decision-making, and there is a real sense of momentum around the organisation’s future direction,” he said. He also outlined what he intends to focus on in the role. “The opportunity to help shape and deliver the technology capability needed to support that direction is incredibly exciting. I’m looking forward to working alongside the team to build modern, resilient, and member-focused technology foundations that will support MAS well into the future,” Brown said.
The two hires sit within a broader shift underway at MAS. Board chair Doug Hill, a GP who took on the chair role in December 2025, has described the organisation as having spent recent years rebuilding financial resilience after a difficult period that included the Christchurch earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic. Writing in May 2026, Hill acknowledged that the organisation’s member focus had not always been consistent. “I accept that MAS may have drifted at times from the mutual's core member focus. That feedback has been taken seriously. Today, the organisation is laser-focused on ensuring MAS remains relevant to the professionals who trust the mutual, not just for the next year, but for the next 100 years,” Hill said.
A central component of the current programme is updating how members interact with MAS digitally. Hill described the intent as giving members the option of digital channels without removing access to direct service. “This is about choice – enabling simpler digital journeys for those who want them, while still ensuring trusted human support is available to members when it is needed, particularly for the moments that matter most,” he said. MAS has not disclosed a detailed timeline or specific financial targets for the transformation in publicly available material.
