Management team

Bill Watson was appointed CEO of First Super in April 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.

As CEO, Bill is responsible for the strategic direction of the Fund, its operations, and all aspects of investment management.

Bill works with First Super Board, his colleagues in the Trustee office and administrator, SBA to bring to life being big enough to perform but small enough to care.

Bill has been a director of media, transport and logistics companies and a trustee director of corporate and industry funds.

Bill holds a Master of Applied Finance, Graduate Diploma of Human Factors and Safety Management Systems, a Bachelor of Law and a Graduate Certificate in IT (Cyber). He is a member of the Permanent Way Institute.

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’s experience within the financial services sector has encompassed superannuation, insurance, retail banking and financial planning. Andrew has held managerial and senior roles across various distribution channels, requiring strategic and business planning and operational skills.

He brings to the Fund experience in successful leadership through various business transformations and creating high-performing teams that are member focused.

He is responsible for providing strategic leadership to First Super’s Financial Advice team and the Retirement Income Strategy to guide and inform our members.

Andrew holds a Senior Executive MBA, Bachelor of Business (Marketing), Post Graduate Diploma of Financial Planning and is an accredited Prince 2 Practitioner.

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, uplifting risk and compliance frameworks, and implementing automated risk and compliance controls. 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 Practising 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.