Following its acquisition of Macquarie Life’s risk business, Zurich Financial Services Australia Limited (Zurich) has expanded its risk underwriting team, building on the diverse approaches used by both Zurich and Macquarie to develop a best-of-breed approach to underwriting.
The team now has 16 additional members based in Sydney and Brisbane, including the Health Connect Tele-underwriting team, and boasts enhanced underwriting capabilities and availability to service advisers and policyholders.
The team now has 16 additional members based in Sydney and Brisbane, including the Health Connect Tele-underwriting team, and boasts enhanced underwriting capabilities and availability to service advisers and policyholders.
“We have acquired great underwriting, tele-underwriting and claims expertise and now have a number of key roles working across both claims and underwriting,” said Tina Beilby, Zurich Life and Investments’ Chief Underwriting Officer.
“With our wider product suite including Zurich Active, Sumo and FutureWise, we’re ensuring our service adds value by leveraging a more diverse underwriting approach and gaining access to additional key reinsurers.”
Matthew Apps, National Underwriting Manager, Distribution, continues reporting to Ms Beilby, and will work closely with Sales & Distribution to deliver a seamless Underwriting-BDM service for advisers. New joiner Mary Sinclair-Porter, National Underwriting Operations Manager, also reports to Ms Beilby and has recently appointed three Underwriting Managers across NSW, QLD and VIC/WA/SA, to further enhance operational excellence.
Tony Baker, Financial Underwriting & Claims Manager and Dr Matthew Paul, Chief Medical Officer, have also joined from Macquarie Life, bringing technical skills across both claims and underwriting. Both work closely with Zurich’s Reinsurance Partners and the newly developed Underwriting Centre of Technical Excellence team.
“We’re delighted to add such high calibre talent to build on the strength of Zurich’s existing underwriting team. We’re enormously proud that Zurich was named Underwriting and New Business Team of the year by the AFA early in 2016, following Macquarie Life receiving this award in previous years,” Ms Beilby added.
“Our newly combined team will be instrumental in supporting Zurich’s expanded product and service proposition in the market and provide a smart, efficient underwriting service for advisers and policyholders.”
