Ben has held the position of Deputy President since 20 May 2021 and accepted the Presidency when Tim Plant stepped down at the end of his two-year term. “It is a privilege to be elected President of ANZIIF, an organisation that has a critical role to play across the Asia Pacific Region. I look forward to working with the Board and Management to ensure strategic objectives are achieved and to contribute toward the ongoing professionalism of the industry”, commented Bessell.

Prue Willsford, ANZIIF CEO paid tribute to Tim Plant, “Tim has been a gracious and insightful strategic leader on our board for two years now and has seen ANZIIF through significant transition periods. The support and expertise that Tim has brought to the board has been outstanding.”

During the year, ANZIIF also welcomed Hilary Bates, Chief Operating Officer of Zurich, to the ANZIIF board.

‘We are pleased to welcome Hilary to the ANZIIF Board,’ said Willsford.  ‘She brings with her a wealth of experience and will add significant value to ANZIIF and the insurance industry,’ added Willsford.

ANZIIF Past President Megan Beer retired from the ANZIIF Board at the AGM.

“We have been very fortunate to have had Megan on the ANZIIF Board since 2015. ANZIIF and the entire team have greatly benefited from Megan’s advice, knowledge, and over 25 years of industry experience.”

2023 ANZIIF Board

• Prue Willsford, Chief Executive Officer, ANZIIF
• Ben Bessell, (President), EGM Business Distribution, Austbrokers (AUB)
• Tim Plant (Immediate Past President), Chief Insurance and Strategy Officer, IAG
• Diego Ascani, Chief Executive Officer, Sedgwick Australia
• Hilary Bates, Chief Operating Officer, Life & Investments, Zurich
• Catherine Dixon, Executive General Manager, People Experience, Suncorp Group New Zealand
• Simone Dossetor, Chief Operating Officer, Insurtech Australia
• Brendan Dunne, Chief Customer and Operations Officer, Allianz Australia
• Fiona Hayes-St Clair, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, QBE
• Kimberley Jonsson, Chief Executive Officer, CHU Underwriting Agencies
• Scott Leney (Deputy President), Head of Risk Management, Asia & Pacific and Country Corporate Officer, Australia, Marsh & McLennan Companies
• John Lyon, Chief Executive Officer, Ando Insurance

ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford and Immediate Past President Tim Plant also recognised several award winners and members for their contribution to ANZIIF and the insurance industry.

Timothy Considine was awarded Honorary Life Membership for his long-term contribution and service to, and proactive influence within the insurance industry.

Tim has been a member of ANZIIF since 2006 and when the Insurance Broking Faculty Advisory Board was established in 2012 was asked to join and then went onto become Chair. Tim’s contribution as Chair of the Broking Faculty helped to solidify the establishment of the Faculty and promoted ANZIIF’s membership and education programs within the broking fraternity. It was also his desire to increase professionalism in the industry that drove his commitment to ANZIIF and assisted us to create our Membership Proposition.

In 2017 Tim was invited to join the ANZIIF Board as Chair of Chairs and during his tenure, his contribution on the Board was integral to the strategic direction of ANZIIF in maintaining relevance to the industry and our members.

The annual ANZIIF Service Award was presented to ANZIIF Fellow Tony Smith. Tony has been a member of ANZIIF since joining in 1982 and was invited to join the Reinsurance Faculty Advisory Board when it was established in 2012. His contribution over the years to ANZIIF has been essential to our success particularly as a Member of the Reinsurance Rendezvous Committee where he held the role of Chair.

The annual ANZIIF Service Award was presented to ANZIIF Fellow, Michael Cooke. Michael joined ANZIIF’s Claims Faculty Advisory Board in 2012 before retiring in 2022. During this time, he gave significant service to ANZIIF in a number of initiatives, particularly with the implementation of ANZIIF’s Skills Units. Michael was President of AICLA during part of this period, which allowed him to play an important role in the collaboration of the two organisations.

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Mr Budhiraja currently serves as Chief Information & Technology Officer for Hong Kong, Singapore and Bermuda with Sun Life Financial.

Hilary Bates, Chief Operating Officer, Zurich Australia and New Zealand said: “Deepak brings an impressive breadth of international experience to this role, including a strong capability in formulating digital roadmaps and a passion for innovation and customers.

“We very much look forward to Deepak joining in the new year and welcoming him as a key member of the local Zurich team,” Ms Bates said.

Mr Budhiraja has more than 20 years’ experience holding senior roles dedicated to digital transformation within the financial services industry. This includes Chief Information Officer & Chief Client Officer for Sun Life Vietnam, and Director of Technology for Sun Life’s Asia Service Centre supporting the Canadian and Asian business units.

Prior to this, he spent more than 10 years in DXC Technology’s Life Insurance Practice consulting for clients located in the United States, Singapore and India.

Mr Budhiraja will relocate from Hong Kong to Sydney in the new year and commence his appointment on 16 January 2023.

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Hilary leads a team of professionals across Australia & New Zealand, dedicated to delivering operational excellence, outstanding customer service and technology solutions.

Hilary has held numerous senior roles in her six years at Zurich, including Chief Operating Officer for Life & Investments and Chief Claims & Operations Officer in General Insurance. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the insurance industry across Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

As a member of the Board, Hilary will contribute to the Board’s role of controlling, assisting and directing the work of ANZIIF as it strives to enhance standards and improve community understanding of insurance and finance in the Asia-Pacific region.

‘I am honoured to be elected Chair of Chairs on the ANZIIF Board.’ said Hilary Bates. ‘One thing that stands out to me about ANZIIF is the passion they have for those who have a career in insurance, and their engagement on emerging trends to ensure they are always evolving and relevant.’

‘ANZIIF play such an important role in enhancing the standards, education and professionalism of the insurance industry in the APAC region, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to this,’ said Ms Bates.

‘On behalf of the Board and the team at ANZIIF, we are delighted to welcome Hilary to the Board,’ says Prue Willsford, ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer. Hilary’s is a longstanding advocate of ANZIIF, and her extensive industry knowledge and experience will be invaluable to the board.’

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Suzi Leung

Zurich Life & Investments is pleased to announce the appointment of Suzi Leung to the role of Chief Claims Officer, effective immediately. Suzi will be reporting to Hilary Bates, Chief Operating Officer of Zurich Life & Investments.

On the appointment, Hilary Bates, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome Suzi to the Life & Investments Operations team. Suzi is an experienced executive and will bring with her a continued focus on empowering her team to deliver exceptional experiences to our customers, and a deep understanding of the Zurich business having been with the Group for more than a decade.”

As the newly appointed Chief Claims Officer, Suzi will be focused on maintaining Zurich’s best in market claims approach and delivering on the claim’s transformation journey.

Ms. Leung adds: “I look forward to continuing my journey at Zurich and will maintain our best in market claims philosophy by approaching each claim with care and empathy. This is especially important as we migrate our OnePath retails claims onto Claims Vantage.”

Suzi was appointed Chief Operations Officer of Zurich General Insurance in January 2021 after 10 years in several Claims and Operational roles within Zurich Australia, Switzerland and North America, where her roles and responsibilities have ranged from personal injury claims and business transformation, to oversight of Zurich’s real estate assets in Australia and New Zealand.

Prior to her appointment as Chief Operations Officer she was Head of Operational Services and Delegated Claims for two years.

Suzi will also continue in her current position as Chief Operating Officer, General Insurance until mid-March.

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