I fell into the finance industry completely by accident. I studied law because I wanted to change the world, one injustice at a time. Quite early into the degree I had decided that a traditional career as a solicitor or a barrister wasn’t for me, but I could see the benefits in the broader skills that I was learning, so I kept persevering, and now I use these skills daily.

Providing governance, compliance and risk management advice and services to trustees of, and service providers to, super funds is a really rewarding job. The majority of the people working within the super industry are genuinely working hard every day to protect the retirement incomes of ordinary Australians. I’ve seen first-hand how tirelessly people work to ensure that a super fund is operating effectively, and how personally they are affected by some of the issues that they have to confront as part of a day’s work, particularly in relation to insurance claims and applications for early access to super.

Working in compliance within the superannuation sector is my way of, if not changing the world, working for the benefit of others. Ensuring that super funds are working within the legislative framework means that these funds are able to dedicate their time and resources to working on new ways to protect retirement incomes and engage members.

Simone Thompson, Managing Director, ST Consult Pty Ltd