Management team

Bill Watson was appointed CEO of First Super in March 2013 bringing to the Fund a wealth of knowledge in the financial services and superannuation industry, public transportation, global consultancy, public policy and government relations. He has extensive executive management experience and held senior roles at Evans and Peck, Statewide Financial Management Services, TransAdelaide, State Transit Authority and Adsteam Marine.

Bill is a Director of The New Daily and has held directorships on the boards of Motor Trades Association of Australia Superannuation Trust, Vehicle Industry Superannuation Trust, Legal Industry Superannuation Scheme and Adsteam Marine Staff Superannuation Fund.

Bill holds a Master of Applied Finance, Graduate Diploma of Human Factors and Safety Management Systems and Bachelor of Law.

Michelle has joined First Super in the role of Deputy CEO, bringing with her 16 years’ experience in a number of executive roles in superannuation at Cbus and ESSSuper, across marketing, member experience and organisational performance. Prior to this Michelle held a senior marketing role at State Trustees. Michelle brings to the Fund strong strategic and business planning skills together with significant leadership and operational experience across key corporate support functions.

As Deputy CEO, Michelle is responsible for member growth and retention at First Super and oversees the business development and marketing and communication functions.  

Michelle holds a degree in Commerce (Marketing and Management), a Masters in Organisational Leadership, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Andrew Jewell is responsible for implementing strategic initiatives for financial advice and education and providing leadership to First Super’s Financial Planning Team. Improving operational efficiency and delivering excellence in member experiences demonstrates Andrew’s ability to develop a customer-centric culture within the Fund.

As a Prince 2 Practitioner, Andrew is leading a transformation program to improve the delivery of financial advice services through the provision of a customer-centric advisory service for a dignified retirement.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing), Prince 2 Practitioner accreditation, Post Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning and is working toward an MBA and Master’s Degree in Financial Planning and Services.

Laurie is an experienced financial services risk professional with a demonstrated ability to translate and embed a corporate governance vision into a comprehensive risk framework and readily executable program. The role is responsible for Internal Audit, Operational Risk Management, and Financial Governance.

Exposure to highly regulated environments has enabled Laurie to disseminate and summarise complex risk concepts and information to board directors, senior executives, and stakeholders. This information is relied upon to facilitate effective and prudent decision making for the good governance of the fund and protection of member’s entitlements.

Laurie holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting), and is a Certified Practising Accountant, and a Senior Associate of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia.

Hayley Pope joined First Super in August 2023. She was formerly the Head of Risk and Compliance at RMBL Investments Ltd, where she led the Risk and Compliance function, driving strong governance practices, overhauling the risk and compliance frameworks, and implementing a new monitoring process. Previously, she held legal and compliance roles at Hostplus and Cbus, as well as IOOF. She also served a term as a part-time member of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal.

As Executive Manager, Governance, Hayley manages First Super’s Governance team, briefs the CEO in relation to Governance matters, and ensures all aspects of First Super’s governance functions comply with statutory and regulatory requirements.

She holds a Diploma of Superannuation, RG146 for the Superannuation Industry, and a Bachelor of Arts (Public Relations) / Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Deakin University. She also holds a Corporate Practicing Certificate in Victoria.

Jennifer Glass joined First Super in August 2023. Before joining First, she worked at Aware Super, where she was seconded to the role of Acting Deputy Company Secretary from her substantive position as Senior Legal Counsel. Prior to the merger that formed Aware, she was Senior Legal Counsel at VicSuper (From 2012).

As First Super’s Senior Counsel and Company Secretary, Jennifer supports First’s Board of Directors. She provides advice regarding fund governance on wide-ranging issues, including the application of governing rules and constitution, and the superannuation industry’s changing regulatory environment.

She holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Southern Queensland and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Northern Territory (Now Charles Darwin) University. She also currently holds a Corporate Practicing Certificate to practice law in Victoria.