Rugby great Ian Jones and health and wellness advocate Jess Quinn to help New Zealanders live healthier, longer, better lives

Life insurer AIA is pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Jones and Jess Quinn as AIA Vitality ambassadors. The newly created roles will see Ian and Jess supporting AIA New Zealand in helping Kiwis live healthier, longer, better lives.

AIA New Zealand CEO, Nick Stanhope said:

“We are delighted to welcome Ian and Jess to the AIA family. Ian ‘Kamo Kid’ Jones is one of New Zealand’s sporting legends. Kiwis will know him from his days with the All Blacks and the Chiefs. Ian’s wellness journey has continued since his retirement. He’s an accomplished ironman and endurance athlete and is known for his charity work having founded Eddies Meals, a community food and friendship kitchen. It’s wonderful to have someone with such mana and commitment to health and wellbeing join us on the team.”

“And as for Jess, we couldn’t think of anyone more closely aligned to what we are about as a company. Jess is known as a health and wellness advocate and for her impressive moves on last year’s Dancing With the Stars. Her own story, since losing her right leg to cancer when she was only 9-years old, is one of resilience and of living life to the fullest. We are particularly impressed with Jess’s recent work in highlighting the importance of body positivity to overall physical and mental wellness,” said Mr Stanhope.

The AIA Group, which was founded in 1919, is the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. In 2018, AIA completed the acquisition of Sovereign in New Zealand, transforming AIA’s scale and reach and enabling the company to become the largest life insurer in the country. As AIA Vitality ambassadors Jess and Ian will help AIA New Zealand spread the word about the importance of health, wellness and of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Jess Quinn said:

“When the team at AIA asked me to join the AIA family it was an easy decision for me. I share AIA’s commitment to encouraging people to take charge of their health. From a young age I could see why maintaining physical and mental wellbeing was so important. I am looking forward to helping New Zealanders in their wellness journey. I have never been an elite athlete but I understand the importance of taking small steps. Small, manageable steps towards being a better you, towards wellness. I can’t wait to get started.”

Ian Jones said:

“I’ve played at the top of the very top of elite sport. But, for me, my sport has never defined me. My family is what defines me. Being a father and a husband helps to put things in perspective. I’ve always tried to remember my roots and to help others. My charity and volunteering work is important to me and I see my commitment to community continuing with AIA. This is a company that genuinely believes in looking after New Zealanders. Through my work as an ambassador with AIA I hope to show everyday Kiwis what can be done with a little bit of help. We are all on a journey. I hope to introduce as many people as I can to their own wellness journey.”

AIA New Zealand’s vision is to help make New Zealand one of the healthiest and most protected nations in the world. The new AIA Vitality ambassador roles have been created to support the New Zealand launch of AIA Vitality, the world’s largest science-backed wellness programme, later this year. AIA Vitality provides members with the knowledge, tools and motivation to help them make achievable steps towards wellness. AIA Vitality members are encouraged and incentivised to actively engage in health and wellness initiatives and activities. The programme offers its members enhanced benefits, including insurance premium discounts, and other exciting and valuable rewards and discounts from a variety of third party providers.

For more details, or to arrange for an interview, please contact Craig Glover, Head of Corporate Affairs and External Communications, on 027 275 3405.

About Jess Quinn

Jess is a health and wellness advocate with a passion for helping people overcome adversity and insecurity. Since losing her right leg to cancer at the age of 9, Jess has refused to let that stand in her way of living life to its fullest with a core passion for helping others overcome their physical and mental setbacks along the way.  Jess aims to expose the truth and reality of our own unique journeys, to reduce judgement on others and celebrate our own paths. She is currently lobbying the New Zealand government to pass legislation requiring brands, advertisements, and the media to disclose if the physical appearance of a model has been altered or retouched in photographs.

About Ian Jones

Ian Jones is one of New Zealand’s finest rugby players, having played 79 Tests for the All Blacks (a record at the time of his retirement) and competing in three Rugby World Cups. Now a regular competitor in Ironman and endurance competitions, managing to balance the demanding requirements of his sport, commitments to family and his role in the media as a Sky Sports commentator. He is known to be down to earth, personable and entertaining. Ian is of Maori descent (Ngai Tahu) and was raised in Northland. He now lives on the North Shore with his wife and three teenage children. Ian is actively involved in a number of not-for-profit organisations including Eddies Meals, which he founded, a non-profit that brings the community together for a meal.

About AIA and Sovereign:

In New Zealand, AIA and Sovereign together employ around 1000 people. Since AIA arrived in New Zealand in 1981, it has consistently provided the market with innovative personal and business insurance products that suit the Kiwi way of life. In July 2018, the AIA Group acquired Sovereign, becoming the largest life insurer in New Zealand. AIA and Sovereign offer a complete range of risk management products that focus on the needs of customers. The companies are both based in Auckland, with regional offices in Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Both companies are members of the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme and the Health Funds Association of New Zealand. AIA has an insurer financial strength rating from Standard and Poor’s of AA-. Sovereign has a rating of A+, from AM Best.

About AIA Group

AIA Group Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively “AIA” or the “Group”) comprise the largest independent publicly listed pan-Asian life insurance group. It has a presence in 18 markets in Asia-Pacific – wholly-owned branches and subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Macau, Brunei, Cambodia, a 97 per cent subsidiary in Sri Lanka, a 49 per cent joint venture in India and a representative office in Myanmar.

The business that is now AIA was first established in Shanghai almost a century ago in 1919. It is a market leader in the Asia-Pacific region (ex-Japan) based on life insurance premiums and holds leading positions across the majority of its markets. It had total assets of US$221 billion as of 30 June 2018.

AIA meets the long-term savings and protection needs of individuals by offering a range of products and services including life insurance, accident and health insurance and savings plans. The Group also provides employee benefits, credit life and pension services to corporate clients. Through an extensive network of agents, partners and employees across Asia-Pacific, AIA serves the holders of 32 million individual policies and over 16 million participating members of group insurance schemes.

AIA Group Limited is listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the stock code “1299” with American Depositary Receipts (Level 1) traded on the over-the-counter market (ticker symbol: “AAGIY”).

About AIA Vitality

Developed in South Africa more than 20 years ago, AIA Vitality is the largest health and wellness programme in the world. AIA Vitality is a personalised, science-backed health and wellbeing programme that supports its members to make healthier choices. AIA Vitality helps members to understand the current state of their health, provides tools to improve it, and offers incentives to keep them motivated on their journey. These include lifestyle rewards, savings on their everyday expenses and even discounts on their life insurance premiums. Harvard Medical research shows that engaged members experienced reduced healthcare costs, lower hospital admissions increased productivity at work and improved mortality rates.