SunLife has tapped the banking sector for its new CMO.
New appointee Victoria Heath was most recently CMO for nearly four years at Vanquis Bank, a specialist lender. She previously worked at Virgin Money, Tesco Bank and RBS in marketing roles.
She was hired for her over 20 years of experience in areas such as innovative customer propositions, brand strategy, digital optimisation and commercial growth.
The recruitment process, run by the Phoenix Group Talent Acquisition team, attracted over 120 candidates.
Founded in 1810, SunLife offers products such as life assurance and equity release aimed at over-50s.
It was acquired by Phoenix Group in 2022, which also owns businesses such as Standard Life. Phoenix launched a master brand strategy in March 2022, which makes it clear that sub-brands such as SunLife are part of the broader group through an endorsement approach that enhances trust.
Mark Screeton, CEO at SunLife, said that Victoria’s “vast experience in the financial services industry and customer-focused attitude make her a great fit for our leadership team.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining SunLife, a brand I’ve long admired for their brand heritage and deep understanding of the over 50s market,” said Victoria. “SunLife’s expertise and focus on serving customer needs reflects the very best aspects of the financial services industry and the positive impact it can make on people’s lives.
“This is one of those opportunities that doesn’t come around too often, so I can’t wait to meet the team and start exploring SunLife’s future growth through marketing.”
