Prue Willsford

As part of a shared commitment to improving professional standards and further enhancing industry trust and confidence within the community, Australia’s General insurance industry has today announced a commitment to a Professional Standards Framework to support Claims Handling and Settling Services. The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance has led this industry wide collaboration.

“ANZIIF is pleased to launch the General Insurance Claims Handling framework. ANZIIF has worked collaboratively with industry, ASIC and other industry bodies to seek broad based input into the framework, to make sure that it is appropriate, reasonable and flexible enough for the wide range of industry business types. The result is an agreed competency-based framework that outlines a clear pathway which will improve the professionalism of the insurance claims handling workforce when it comes to claims handling and settling services. Thank you to all our collaborators that have made this possible,” says Prue Willsford, ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer.

“The insurance industry has an ongoing opportunity to improve outcomes to customers, attract and retain great people, and increase confidence in the role of insurance in our community. The support for this framework signifies the industry’s willingness to collaborate for the benefit of customers and industry. ANZIIF, as the leading professional association for insurance, is uniquely positioned to set professional standards and drive such important collaborations for the benefit of all,” says Tim Plant, Immediate Past President and Fellow of ANZIIF.

“ANZIIF is such an important part of the Australian Insurance Industry landscape. As the leading professional membership association serving all parts of our industry, it is the only association with the expertise, capability and authority to develop such a framework on behalf of industry,” says Ben Bessell, President of ANZIIF.

“While it is not their role to endorse the framework, ASIC also welcomed the industry wide collaboration to set standards that are in the interest of customers, the industry, and employees,” adds Bessell.

Companies that have initially endorsed the framework include Suncorp, Allianz, Youi, SURA and Austbrokers, QBE, Zurich, CHU, IAG, Sedgwick and NTI and is supported by NIBA, UAC, AICLA.

The framework is a voluntary commitment by organisations representing a commitment to good practice and professionalism and will be implemented progressively over the next two years.

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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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Prue Willsford

After 10 years of service, Prue Willsford, CEO, ANZIIF, announced that she will step down from the role at the end of the year having led the premier learning organisation through a period of tremendous growth, change and industry service.

Prue’s decade of changemaking has seen the election of five ANZIIF board presidents, including Jon Fox, Karl Armstrong, Allan Reynolds, Megan Beer and Tim Plant. Prue acknowledges each for bringing with them “guidance, wisdom and commitment to ANZIIF and the industry”.

Commencing in April 2023, the Board will oversee the formal process to appoint a new ANZIIF CEO. This paves the way for a best-practice leader with passion and a commitment to professional excellence and education to take the opportunity to make a lasting and positive difference to the insurance industry.

Prue Willsford comments, “ANZIIF has been an amazing life experience for me. I’ve been given extraordinary opportunities to learn and grow, and to make an impact. I feel strongly that organisations such as ANZIIF benefit from the fine balance of stability and renewal, and, after a decade, it feels like the right time for me to leave ANZIIF in the capable hands of our talented teams. I leave with many achievements that I am truly proud of and the knowledge that ANZIIF is set to fulfil its aims.”

Over the decade, Prue has been pivotal in leading the new ANZIIF education model, the improvement of professional frameworks, upholding professional standards and maintaining the industry’s passion for and commitment to professional development.

Prue remains accountable for the strategic and financial goals ANZIIF has set this year.

Tim Plant, President, ANZIIF Board commented, “It has been a pleasure working with Prue over the past years and the board appreciates the enormous contribution she has made to ANZIIF and the industry more generally.”

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Tim Plant

The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) has revealed the panellists for this year’s General Insurance Breakfast, which will be held at The Fullerton Sydney and online (hybrid event).

The panellists include well-known industry leaders:

• Tim Plant: Chief Insurance and Strategy Officer of IAG and ANZIIF President
• Susie Amos: Principal of Finity Consulting
• Jennifer Richards: Chief Executive Officer of Aon Australia

Mark Silveira, General Manager Industry Engagement at ANZIIF, will serve as the moderator at the breakfast, which will start from 7:45am to 9:30am AEDT.

Now in its 34th year, this is a must-attend event for insurance professionals who are keen to learn about the critical and current issues shaping the general insurance industry.

‘I don’t think that anything matches the complexity of the forces that we’re feeling right now,’ says Richards, who will share her perspective at the upcoming ANZIIF General Insurance Breakfast.

Along with the other panellists, Richards will reflect on the past year and contemplate the future of the industry.

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Tim Plant

The Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) has announced at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) that Tim Plant, CEO General Insurance (Australia & New Zealand), Zurich Australia will take over the position of ANZIIF President effective immediately. Ben Bessell, Chief Broking Officer, Austbrokers will take the role as Deputy President.

Tim has held the position of Deputy President since 2019 and accepted the Presidency when Megan Beer stepped down at the end of her two-year term.

“I am proud and honoured to be elected President of ANZIIF, an organisation that I have been a part of for many years,” said Tim Plant CEO General Insurance, Zurich Australia. “ANZIIF has played a major role in uplifting the professional standards of the insurance industry in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. I am excited to lead as President and help ANZIIF achieve its vision and strategic goals.”

ANZIIF Chief Executive Officer Prue Willsford paid tribute to Megan Beer. “Megan has been influential in leading the launch of the first ever Professional Standards Framework for the life sector. She is the first female president of ANZIIF and has been a strong advocate for women in leadership roles. Thank you for helping ANZIIF achieve its goals during your two-year term as President.”

ANZIIF Past President Allan Reynolds retired from the ANZIIF Board at the AGM.

“We have been very fortunate to have had Allan on the ANZIIF Board since 2015. ANZIIF and the entire team have greatly benefited from Allan’s advice, knowledge, and 40 years of industry experience.

Willsford acknowledged and thanked Tony Lee and Daniel Fogarty for their dedicated service to ANZIIF – both members retired from the ANZIIF Board at the AGM.

2021 ANZIIF Board:

• Tim Plant (President), CEO General Insurance AUS/NZ, Zurich Financial Services Australasia Limited
• Ben Bessell (Deputy President), Chief Broking Officer, Austbrokers
• Megan Beer (Immediate Past President), Group Executive, Insurance, CEO Australasia, Resolution Life
• Diego Ascani, Chief Executive Officer, Australia, Sedgwick
• Tim Considine, Managing Director, Austbrokers Countrywide
• Catherine Dixon, Executive General Manager, People Experience, Suncorp Group New Zealand
• Simone Dossetor, Chief Operating Officer, Munich Re Australasia,
• Fiona Hayes-St Clair, Chief Strategy Officer, QBE Insurance Australia / New Zealand
• John Lyon, Chief Executive Officer, Ando Inurance
• Damien Mu, Chief Executive Officer, AIA Australia
• Prue Willsford, Chief Executive Officer, ANZIIF

ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford and Immediate Past President Megan Beer recognised several award winners for their contribution to ANZIIF and the insurance industry.

ANZIIF (Senior Associate) David McKinnis was awarded Honorary Life Membership for his long-term contribution, service, and proactive influence on the insurance industry. The annual ANZIIF Service Award was presented to ANZIIF Fellow Noel Donovan for his many years of work at ANZIIF to help lift professional standards through education and training. The E.E Vines Prize for 2020 was awarded to ANZIIF (Fellow) Honorary Life John Dawson for his Journal article What is the difference between conduct risk, risk culture and organisational culture?.

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Justin Delaney

Zurich Australia has announced a new Family Care Policy that recognises all family circumstances and supports a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace.

Acknowledging that every family is different, the new approach to Family Care will support every employee regardless of gender, gender identity or sexual orientation and enable everyone to take paid leave as they welcome new family members or manage various circumstances related to family care.

Effective 21 December 2020, the Family Care Policy will replace Zurich’s existing Parental Leave Policy. It has the following key inclusions:

• The new policy is inclusive of birth, adoption, surrogacy, IVF, miscarriage and stillbirth.
• Primary Parents – 16 weeks paid leave with the ability to request up to 2 years of leave.
• Co-Parents – 6 weeks paid leave plus additional unpaid leave.
• Superannuation contributions on unpaid leave for primary parents.
• Removal of all tenure requirements, including probation.
• Personal and long service leave will continue to accrue during unpaid leave for primary parents.

The Family Care Policy will position Zurich as one of the leading employers in the Australian insurance industry based on parental leave benefits.

A key component of the Family Care Policy is the introduction of superannuation contributions on unpaid leave for primary parents.

Justin Delaney, CEO Life & Investments, said, “The introduction of superannuation contributions on unpaid leave supports our commitment to reducing the retirement savings ‘super gap’ most often experienced by women. These contributions will help drive more equitable outcomes of retirement savings over time”.

Tim Plant, CEO General Insurance, said, “This is the next step in Zurich’s journey towards achieving equality for our people, as part of our wider aim to create a brighter, more sustainable workplace that puts our people first”.

To ensure Zurich is as inclusive as possible and appropriately reflects the reality of families today, the new policy was developed in consultation with two key employee resource groups – the Women’s Innovation Network and PrideZ – representing diverse voices across Zurich’s workforce.

Sue Maher, Head of Human Resources, said, “Our new Family Care Policy reflects the many different voices of our diverse workforce, ensuring inclusivity and better supporting the range of family circumstances we see across Australia today”.

Zurich’s approach to Family Care across Australia supports Zurich Group’s global aspiration to create a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace with progressive and flexible support for all employees.

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Allan has held the position of Deputy President since 2016 and accepted the Presidency when Karl Armstrong stepped down at the end of his two year term. ‘I am excited to lead ANZIIF, as President, and work with the management team to realise the goals and vision of the organisation,’ said Allan. Prue Willsford, ANZIIF CEO paid tribute to Karl Armstrong ‘Karl has made a significant contribution to ANZIIF during a period of major change. He was also the first ANZIIF President from New Zealand.’

During the year, ANZIIF also welcomed Tim Plant, Group Executive, Self Insurance, Community and Innovation at icare and Donna Walker, Executive General Manager of Broker Business at iag. ‘We are pleased to welcome Tim and Donna, both of whom have a wealth of experience, to the ANZIIF Board. I am certain that their capabilities and knowledge of the industry will be of great benefit to ANZIIF,’ said Willsford.

2017 ANZIIF Board

• Allan Reynolds (President), Executive General Manager – NZ + Direct Steadfast
• Megan Beer (Deputy President), Group Executive, Insurance AMP
• Karl Armstrong (Immediate Past President), Chief Risk Officer, IAG New Zealand Limited
• Paul Allison, Vice Chairman Australia New Zealand
• Guy Carpenter
• Andrew Bart, Chief Executive Officer Asia Pacific, Crawford and Company Australia Pty Ltd
• Tim Considine, Managing Director, Austbrokers Countrywide
• Daniel Fogarty, Consultant
• Jonathon Fox, Executive General Manager, Claims, QBE Insurance Australia & New Zealand
• Chun Ming (Tony) Lee, Assistant Vice President, Allied World Assurance Company Ltd
• Callan McDonnell, Executive Manager Customer Culture, Suncorp
• Paul Munton, Executive General Manager Broking Branches, Rothbury Insurance Brokers
• Tim Plant, Group Executive, Self Insurance, Community and Innovation, icare
• Donna Walker, Executive General Manager – Broker Business, iag
• Prue Willsford, Chief Executive Officer, ANZIIF

ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford and President Karl Armstrong also recognised a number of award winners and members for their contribution to ANZIIF and the insurance industry.

Peter E Daly AM was recognised with Honorary Membership for his extraordinary service to the insurance industry. Mr Daly was President, as well as CEO, of the Insurance Council of Australia, Chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service and formerly Chairman of AAMI Limited and Concord Group Limited. He was also Chairman of HDI-Gerling Australia Pty. Ltd. and a member of the Legal Practitioners Liability Committee in Victoria. In addition, he was Managing Director of Norwich Winterthur Group Limited and is currently Chairman at Australian Landscape Trust, which administers properties in Gippsland and Renmark concentrating on conservation and environment.

The annual ANZIIF Service Award was presented to ANZIIF Senior Associate John Peberdy. Mr Peberdy commenced work in the insurance industry in 1973 and throughout his career has generously contributed to a broad range of industry boards and activities including Chair of VMIA; Director of ARPC; Chairman of Stewards Insurance Services Pty Ltd; Deputy Chairman of Christian Super; Non-Executive Director of Protecsure Pty Ltd; Director of ICA; and Director and industry representative for the Financial Ombudsman Service. During the past five years, Mr Peberdy has supported ANZIIF by developing and facilitating various international workshops and seminars in China, Hong Kong and Melbourne for senior industry leaders and insurance technical specialists. In addition, Mr Peberdy was the first Chair of ANZIIF’s General Insurance Faculty Advisory Board and is a long-serving Australian Insurance Industry Awards judge.

The E.E. Vines Memorial Prize, awarded to the ANZIIF member who authored the most meritorious paper published in the Journal, ANZIIF’s quarterly publication, was presented to ANZIIF Fellow Dr Chris Wallace for his paper titled ‘Cyber Terrorism and Australia’s Terrorism Insurance Scheme’ which was published in Journal Vol. 39 No. 2.

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Tim, who has over 25 years of insurance and reinsurance experience, will be a welcome addition to the Board. He is currently icare’s Group Executive, Innovation and brings with him a wealth of experience as CEO of QBE’s Australian and New Zealand operations and, prior to that, head of QBE’s Corporate Partners and Direct Business.

ANZIIF President and IAG Chief Risk Officer Karl Armstrong said he was pleased to welcome Tim to the team.

“I’m very happy Tim will be joining the ANZIIF Board. It’s always wonderful when someone with such extensive experience in insurance and reinsurance can add their voice to the mix,” Armstrong said.

ANZIIF CEO Prue Willsford echoed Armstrong’s comments, adding that his focus on innovation and transforming the customer experience would be crucial for guiding ANZIIF in the changing insurance landscape.

“As a global leader in insurance, Tim is a valuable addition to the Board,” Willsford said. “Even more than that, his focus on innovation in regard to customer experience and service delivery is something that will only become more important to ANZIIF members and stakeholders as the landscape changes. It’s a great advantage for us to have that perspective guiding us.”

In taking the role, Tim says, “I look forward to working with the ANZIIF Board and executive team and their passion for delivery of market-leading education services.”

“The insurance industry is focused on the impact of disruption, the utilisation of emerging technologies and rapid changes in customer expectations. The education sector is rapidly evolving to respond to this environment of uncertainty and change. I hope to bring my experience to navigating those issues so that ANZIIF and its members are well prepared for the future.”

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