Laura Wright has announced her retirement from NGS Super as Chief Executive Officer after a long and successful career as a teacher/librarian, union organiser, first IEU women’s officer, superannuation trustee and CEO of NGS Super.
I first met Laura in the late 1980s after reading her reports on women’s issues in Newsmonth. Not unsurprisingly, the issues she was dealing with at the time were not all that different to the issues the IEU is dealing with now – class sizes, hours of work, bullying and the promotion of women in schools. It certainly was an important position and Laura worked hard to support teachers and support staff who came to her with individual issues.
Soon after her appointment, Laura was selected to represent the IEU on the Board of Directors for the newly formed superannuation trust fund called the Non-Government Schools Superannuation Fund (NGSSF). The year was 1988 and the principal parties to the trust fund were the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) NSW, the IEUA NSW/ACT and the Catholic Employers NSW. The employer contribution was 3 per cent of gross salary, the investment options were limited and insurance was $1 per week for Death and TPD only. This agreement allowed employer contributions to be made four years before compulsory (Award) super came in in 1992. Laura gained valuable experience as a trustee and was elected to chair NGSFF in 1993 and 1994.
Laura left the IEU in December 1995 and became a superannuation professional, initially working as a Suncorp Advisor and administrator. She quickly rose to a managerial position, leading teams of administrators dealing with areas such as mailouts, call centres, compliance with super regulations, marketing and insurance. She later became the account manager for medium sized industry funds such as Print Super (now Media Super), REST and STA (now Australian Super).
Laura came full circle and returned to the fund she had contributed so much to, NGS Super, in 2008. As a highly respected superannuation professional with a strong industry-wide reputation, Laura was welcomed back and again took on an important role at a time of change and development in superannuation.
As a true ‘people person’, Laura chose not to have her own office but to sit in the middle of the open office, where she led by her example and strong work ethic.
It is impossible to list all her contributions to the Fund and the benefits to members from her outstanding work. In a broad sense, some of Laura’s achievements were in new insurance arrangements, for which NGS Super won Fund of the Year – Insurance; streamlining the company secretariat function which entailed accurate preparation of board papers and minutes; co-ordinating marketing activities; assisting with investment matters; managing staff; overseeing fund mergers; and, true to her teacher/librarian roots, reorganising fund filing systems.
She became NGS CEO with the approval of the Board and the respect of the staff.
Laura’s contributions have helped shape NGS Super into what it is now – an outstanding industry fund with a strong focus on its members and one of the best outcomes for their retirement.
Thank you, Laura.
Now that it’s time for your retirement, know that you will be missed by the staff and colleagues you worked with for many years. May you have the long and glorious retirement you so richly deserve.
Bernard O’Connor (former NGS Super Company Secretary)