The directors and staff at Rice Warner would like to congratulate Michael Rice for being awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia, “for distinguished service to business and economics, particularly to the actuarial profession, and through advisory roles”.

Michael is a leader within the financial services industry and is well known for his tireless advocacy for good public policy across Australia’s superannuation and retirement sectors.  Michael is one of a handful of expert actuaries who the media seek out for insightful and unbiased commentary, which is supported by the research and industry projections of Rice Warner, the firm he founded in 1987.

Michael continues to make a significant contribution to public policy through Rice Warner’s regular submissions to government and regulators on Australia’s financial services system. In recent years, this has included submissions to the Super System (Cooper) Review (2009), Australia’s Future Tax System (Henry) Review (2010), and Financial System Inquiry (2014), and more recently with numerous submissions to Treasury, Senate Committees and the Productivity Commission.

Michael has also undertaken pioneering research into Age Pension dependency and trends releasing several professional papers on related topics over the years.  He has a keen interest in the integration of social security and superannuation, as well as measuring the adequacy of retirement incomes.

Closer to home, Michael has been a champion of women at Rice Warner, introducing the company’s Valuing Females Policy (including higher superannuation contributions for female staff to help improve their retirement outcomes).

The Institute of Actuaries of Australia has previously recognised Michael’s contribution and dedication to the actuarial profession and Australia’s retirement savings system, awarding him the prestigious Actuary of the Year Award in 2017.

Michael, congratulations on your latest award recognising your significant contribution over many years of service.