Sarah O'Brien is an accomplished financial services professional with an extensive career spanning retail banking, managed funds, and superannuation. Her strong focus on regulatory matters, including many regulatory reform programs, has cemented her reputation in the industry. O'Brien is also passionate about industry consultation with government and regulators, operational efficiency in the superannuation industry, and innovation and technology application in financial services. She holds a Financial Diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Medieval History from the University of Sydney.

O'Brien has served as an Executive Officer at Gateway Network Governance Body Ltd and was previously the Interim Executive Officer at the same organization. She has also held various executive roles at the Commonwealth Bank, including Executive Manager Operational Change and Advocacy and Senior Manager Advocacy (Operations), Strategic Development. She was also the Company Secretary at the Affiliation of Superannuation Practitioners and has held several managerial positions at Colonial First State. O'Brien's career started at ANZ Bank.