Former Coca-Cola Amatil executive Sally Loane has been appointed to the Financial Services Council (FSC), replacing outgoing chief executive John Brogden.

Ms Loane has worked as the director of media and public affairs at Coca-Cola Amatil for eight years, but will now move to a new role at Australia’s finance sector lobby group.

She has also been a broadcaster and journalist, before entering the corporate sector.

Her predecessor, Mr Brogden, move on to become chief executive of the Australian Institute of Company Directors in January net year.

Ms Loane is well known outside of her role at Coca-Cola Amatil, working as a director of the Waratahs Rugby P/L and SCEGGS Darlinghurst, deputy chair of the Committee for Sydney, governor of the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and a member of the Salvation Army’s Media Advisory Board.

“Sally brings a strong background in media and corporate reputation to the FSC,” told reporters this week.

“Her skills and experience will be critical as financial services moves from an era of the most significant changes in regulation and legislation in its history to its next phase of being an export and growth industry for Australia.”

“Financial services is the engine room of the Australian economy,” Ms Loane says.

“As Australia’s largest industry – larger than mining and manufacturing – financial services is integral to Australia’s economic growth. There is tremendous scope to cement financial services as an industry in its own right.

“Building trust and confidence in financial services will be a significant focus for the immediate future of the industry.

“My initial mandate will be to focus on three key areas for the future of financial services.

“The first will be to establish a platform for Australia to develop a retirement outcomes policy. This is critical as Australians are living longer and need to ensure they can live comfortably in retirement.

“The second, to ensure financial services has a voice of influence in the debate on the tax and federation white papers − an area which is well overdue for reform.

“And the third is to contribute to Australia’s future economic growth through building the right regulatory architecture so Australian can develop a significant presence in the Asian Region,” she said.