Profile
"West Oak’s success has come from always putting our clients’ best interests first and always finding ways to improve and add more value to them"
Andrew mcquiston,
west oak family office, wellington-altus private wealth
Attributing her distinctive drive to the example her grandparents set, Paula ter Brake has a career that spans 25 years and many accomplishments.
“As a second-generation immigrant in New Zealand, I witnessed my grandparents start their married life with nothing. Through sheer grit and determination, they achieved so much, including the rock-solid whānau foundation that’s enabled us all to flourish,” she says.
“They instilled a belief in myself and the ability to push through the fear that can sometimes prevent women from taking that next step in their career.”
Paula’s career started in retail banking. A school leaver, she was fast-tracked into a satellite branch manager role at 19. Made redundant at 20, she embarked on her overseas experience as a self-employed financial advisor for Canada Life in Dublin.
She secured her first senior leadership role at 26, her first executive directorship at 28, and by 30 – having recovered a failed acquisition for GE Money – was promoted to global mortgage distribution leader with remit for 41 countries.
Paula left GE to facilitate motherhood, establishing her own consultancy. Adapting to emerging opportunities presented by the Global Financial Crisis, her boutique advisory firm competed against the Big 4, providing buy-side due diligence for global investors and racking up over $16bn in assets transacted.
After selling her business, Paula remained as CEO for two years before returning to NZ as director for ASX-listed brand, Humm, chairing the company’s audit and risk committees.
Today, Paula’s double portfolio role with NZX and ASX-listed insurer Tower Insurance includes leading the company’s Pacific entities – in some of the world’s most perilous regions – and Tower’s risk, compliance, internal audit, legal and governance functions.
Paula
ter Brake
Chief Risk Officer and Managing Director Pacific
Tower Insurance NZ
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
Profile
Milestones
2020
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Receive an excellence award
2020
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2019
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
TeD Talk Speaker
2019
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2018
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
title of milestone
2018
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2020-2021
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Received Lexology Client Choice Award (Labour and Employment – Canada)
2020-2021
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2014-2022
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Received Best Lawyer in Canada Award (Employment and Labour Law)
2014-2022
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2014-2022
2020-2021
2018
2019
2020
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
Profile
Milestones
2019–2021
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Joined Tower as GM Pacific, promoted
to MD Pacific and then to CRO
2019–2021
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2017
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Independent Director at
ASX-listed Humm, New Zealand
2017
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2007
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Founded European consultancy
firm Weston and Wellington
2007
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2005
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Global Mortgage Distribution
Leader at GE Money
2005
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2002
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Director of Operations
at IFG Mortgages
2002
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2002
2005
2007
2017
2019–2021
Paula ter Brake
Chief Risk Officer and
Managing Director Pacific
Tower Insurance NZ
Read on
Special Report
Home
Bio
Milestones
2020
2019
2018
2020-2021
2014-2022
2020
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Received Best Lawyer in Canada Award (Employment and Labour Law)
2020
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2019
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
TeD Talk Speaker
2019
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2018
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
title of milestone
2018
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2020-2021
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Received Lexology Client Choice Award (Labour and Employment – Canada)
2020-2021
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2014-2022
human resources | key media
Received Best Lawyer in Canada Award (Employment and Labour Law)
2014-2022
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Milestones
Career Accolades
2019–2021
2017
2007
2005
2002
2019–2021
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Joined Tower as GM Pacific, promoted to MD Pacific and then to CRO
2019–2021
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2017
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Independent Director at ASX-listed Humm, New Zealand
2017
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2007
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Founded European consultancy firm Weston and Wellington
2007
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2005
Human Resources Magazine | key media
Global Mortgage Distribution Leader at GE Money
2005
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2002
human resources | key media
Director of Operations at IFG Mortgages
2002
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Career Highlights
2019–2021
2017
2007
2005
2002
2019–2021
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Joined Tower as GM Pacific, promoted to
MD Pacific and then to CRO
2019–2021
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2017
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Independent Director at ASX-listed Humm,
New Zealand
2017
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2007
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Founded European consultancy firm Weston and Wellington
2007
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2005
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Global Mortgage Distribution Leader at GE Money
2005
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2002
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Director of Operations at IFG Mortgages
2002
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Career Accolades
2020
2019
2018
2020-2021
2014-2022
2020
Insurance Business Magazine | Key Media
Receive an excellence award
2020
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2019
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
TeD Talk Speaker
2019
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2018
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
title of milestone
2018
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2020-2021
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Received Lexology
Client Choice Award
(Labour and Employment – Canada)
2020-2021
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
2014-2022
Ted Talk in collaboration with key media
Received Best Lawyer in
Canada Award
(Employment and Labour Law)
2014-2022
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. A volutpat laoreet suscipit duis. Diam aliquam sed ut massa viverra a, eget libero.
Career Accolades
Milestones
Milestones
Milestones
tower.co.nz
linkedin.com/in/paulaterbrake
paula.terbrake@tower.co.nz
021 946 855
Level 5/136 Fanshawe Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Chief Risk Officer and
Managing Director Pacific
Tower Insurance NZ
Paula ter Brake
Read on
Recently, Paula led Tower’s strategic acquisition of National Pacific Insurance (NPI), enabling Tower’s full ownership of its Pacific entities, and the rebranding of NPI, which expands the reach of Tower’s brand exponentially.
Devoted to extending insurance accessibility throughout the Pacific, Paula says the impact of COVID-19 on the Islands has been a major setback in the fight against climate change.
Unlike mature markets with high insurance uptake, the Pacific is estimated to have less than 5% of homes insured against cyclones, the most prevalent threat in the region.
“Despite market and business contraction, I set out a five-year growth plan, securing support for a multimillion-dollar digital transformation program for the re-platforming of legacy systems to Tower’s leading digital and data platform; and the launch of the Pacific Islands’ first fully optimised digital sales and service solution,” she says.