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Our team are passionate about what we do, and being there for our customers when they need it most.

Gillian Vaughan BP&RM

Chief Executive

Gillian was appointed Chief Executive of Pinnacle Life in April 2018. Gillian has more than 20 years experience in the life insurance industry, having joined Pinnacle in 1999. She has worked in all areas of the business including strategy, technology, risk, customer sales and service, with her most recent role being General Manager Operations. In addition to her role at Pinnacle Life, in 2020 Gillian was recognised for her services to Wildlife Conservation with a Queens Service Medal.

Dave Riches MBA, MECom, BMS

Head of Operations and Optimisation

Dave is accountable for the operations team, who are passionate about delivering excellent service to our current and potential customers. This includes customer service, sales, business support, risk and compliance. Dave's experience is in leading operations and operational excellence teams, both in insurance and other industries.

Not a stranger to change and improvement, Dave is responsible for optimising Pinnacle's products, systems and processes. Dave’s customer-centric approach ensures that the vision and strategy always has the customer at heart. He has led business transformation in financial services, local government, building products and construction.

Cherie Chen CPA, BCOM

Finance and Analytics Manager

Cherie is the Finance and Analytics Manager at Pinnacle Life with a demonstrated track record of working in multiple insurance companies, large-scale corporates, and not-for-profit organisations. She has excellent knowledge of accounting and finance, people management, product profitability analysis, and business operation.

She implements new strategic programmes through insights and assists team members in adopting innovative working methods. People are at the heart of how she leads and operates; Cherie is truly committed to diversity & inclusion and team empowerment.

Jane Barron BCom PGDipBusAdmin

Marketing and Digital Manager

Jane joined Pinnacle Life in 2017 and has responsibility for Marketing Communications and Technology. Jane comes from a background in life insurance, banking, and retail with experience in project management, digital marketing, brand management, customer journeys and marketing strategy.