Top Insurance Executives and Professionals in Australia and New Zealand | Hot List 2026 

The data shows how that pressure is playing out. 

• In Australia, insurers are moving towards measurable return after a phase of broad AI experimentation, while regulatory pressure is intensifying around operational resilience, AI governance and climate risk management.
   

• Catastrophe-driven repricing and more granular climate modelling are reshaping risk appetite, with premium increases and tighter underwriting in high-risk zones.
   

• In New Zealand, insured losses from Cyclone Gabrielle and North Island floods exceeded US$1.38 billion, with severe-weather claims rising 402%.
   

• Reinsurance cost inflation has contributed to average premium increases of around 23%, increasing affordability pressure and widening underinsurance risk.
   

• Claims settlement times have improved by nearly 55% through digital tools, while AI adoption is now widespread, placing greater emphasis on how technology is applied. 

Max Murray, CEO, partner and insurance sector leader at Deloitte, says these shifts are creating a widening capability gap. Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends report shows that while 70% of business leaders cite speed and adaptability as their primary competitive strategy, only 7% believe their organisations are effectively enabling continuous workforce growth and adaptation. 

“As insurers move from AI pilots to scaled deployment, this gap is becoming a material business challenge,” he adds. 

These conditions are redefining how leaders think about risk and opportunity. Climate exposure, cyber threats and systemic disruption are part of decision-making, while customer expectations continue to move towards real-time service, embedded cover and proactive risk management.  

AI and automation are being used to scale insight and improve delivery, but accountability, ethics and human oversight remain central to how decisions are made, explains Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) CEO Katrina Shanks. 

“In 2026, the strongest leaders treat skill development not as a support function, but as a strategic asset underpinning long-term resilience,” she says. 

This year’s Hot List winners distinguish themselves in the current conditions. IB surveyed the industry and conducted independent research across Australia and New Zealand to identify leaders who have made a measurable impact over the past 12 months. The team considered more than 300 professionals and selected 54 for their leadership, innovation and contribution to the industry. 

The winners are all leading insurance professionals, and they highlight a market moving past experimentation and into application, where the value of AI is tied to how it is used, not simply where it is deployed. 
 

In New South Wales, Tego CEO and founder Eric Lowenstein has grown the business from a one-person startup into a nationally recognised underwriting agency with more than 20 staff and annual premium exceeding $65 million. Over the past year, the firm launched a new AI claims platform and won multiple honours at the 2025 Global Insurance Innovation Awards, including Best Insurance Product and Outstanding IT Transformation. 

Lowenstein sees AI delivering results in areas, such as claims triage, administrative automation, data analysis and real-time portfolio visibility, but points to a gap in coverage, where policy language has not kept pace with AI-driven decision-making. 

“As AI becomes more deeply embedded in clinical practice, those gaps will become more visible,” he says. “Standalone AI cover feels like an inevitable next step, in the same way standalone cyber cover emerged, and the conversation should be happening now rather than after a significant claim forces the issue.”
 

 

In Queensland, Kate Middleton, founding board member and deputy chairperson, and the only female director of the Association for Insurance Building & Engineering Consultants (AiBEC), is shaping how the industry responds to claims, regulation and customer outcomes.  

As a founding board member, she has contributed submissions to ASIC, AFCA and the Insurance Council following the parliamentary flood review and provided feedback to upcoming GICOP standards, while delivering a one-year 20% revenue increase in her operational role as head of commercial claims at ARC Projects.  

Speaking from first-hand experience, Middleton sees AI creating capacity within claims functions by handling administrative tasks, such as automatic booking notifications, job note updates and PDS fact checks, allowing more time for customer interaction. In her view, the value lies in how that efficiency is applied.  

“Systemising the back end, so we can personalise the front end, feels vital,” she says. “Essentially using AI as a support, not a replacement for the deep compassion required during claims time.”  

The organisation’s marketing, business development and training functions are also benefiting from the efficiencies gained through AI and custom GPTs.  

“I can’t speak for the industry, but I genuinely sense that many functions will always require that human touch, particularly when we also overlay CPS 230 and GICOP requirements, as well as an awareness of customer vulnerability.” 
 

 

The Bridge International CEO Stuart Brown has spent the past year at the centre of major insurance transactions and transformation work. He led the industry-first Heartbeat of General Insurance 2025 report in partnership with ANZIIF, drawing on insights from more than 120 senior leaders to assess how organisations are responding to AI and capability demands. He was part of the team that led program delivery for the RAA-Allianz transition, one of the most significant insurance transitions undertaken in recent years. He delivered several organisational transformations, reshaping supply chain design, reducing claim durations and costs, and improving customer outcomes while embedding capability for ongoing improvement. 

Findings from the Heartbeat report highlight how insurers are applying AI: 

• 68% of respondents identified technology-driven efficiency as their primary opportunity
   

• 59% pointed to digital and AI-enabled customer engagement as a key growth driver
   

• 76% expect AI to reduce headcount within three to five years 
   

• 60% are already using AI tools daily or multiple times per week
   

• 70% reported receiving no formal training in how to use those tools 

Brown points to a divergence in approach, with larger firms focused on efficiency and cost control, while growth businesses are applying AI to improve customer experience and support expansion. The advantage, in his view, will come down to how businesses build capability around technology. 

“Organisations that continue to develop talent, empower teams and reward learning will adapt and improve their business faster than those focused only on efficiency,” he says.
 

 

On the Sunshine Coast, Shielded Insurance principal Joshua Scutts has led the brokerage to be ranked No. 1 in 2025 and one of the fastest-growing in Australia and New Zealand, expanding to more than 100 staff across five offices, including Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. He also led the relaunch of CoverMy to bring direct customers into the broking channel. As principal and co-founder, he writes the code that runs the business, designs its systems, and leads sales and marketing. 

That perspective shapes a more direct view on AI. Scutts argues that many businesses are getting ahead of themselves, after years of underinvestment in automation and structured systems, and are now expecting AI to deliver results on top of processes that are not ready. 

In practice, he sees its impact ranging from claims and compliance to document processing, but dependent on how each business is set up to use it. He also points to the advantage held by operators who understand their systems and can apply AI in context. 

“To implement AI into your business and get a great return, you’ve got to have good systems in place to do that,” he says. 
 

 

 

For Lowenstein, the past year has been defined by building out in-house capability to improve how claims are handled. He led the launch of an internal claims team made up of experienced lawyers and claims professionals, designed to manage matters from first notification through to resolution. The model allows for: 

• faster response times 
   

• continuous medico-legal support 
   

• closer integration with broker relationships 

The focus, he says, is not only technical capability, but the culture behind it. The team has been built around individuals who combine expertise with empathy, ensuring outcomes are managed with care as well as precision. 

“Launching our in-house claims team has been one of the highlights of the past year,” he says. “This allows us to be more responsive, providing 24/7 medico-legal support and adding significant value to broker relationships, with claims expertise that is genuinely accessible when it matters most.” 

That approach reflects a broader shift across the industry. As roles move away from routine tasks, the value of professionals is increasingly defined by judgement and accountability, particularly in claims and other high-stakes areas.  

As Deloitte’s Murray notes, “Leading professionals are adopting an augmentation model, using automation for structured work while doubling down on human judgement, empathy and accountability for complex decisions.” 

ANZIIF’s Shanks adds, “Insurance professionals need to draw a clear line between efficiency and responsibility. They use AI and automation to absorb data-heavy, repeatable tasks, freeing time and cognitive space for decisions that carry real consequences. This is critical in claims, complex underwriting and broking, where nuance, empathy and ethical judgement shape outcomes as much as analysis.”

For Middleton, the past year has focused on bringing industry participants together to address shared challenges across claims, regulation and customer outcomes. Through her roles at ARC Projects and AiBEC, she has engaged with ASIC, AFCA, the Insurance Council and other stakeholders to shape submissions for the new GICOP. She is also spearheading the development of an industry-first CPS 230 course in partnership with Bond University and ANZIIF.  

Middleton’s approach is grounded in consultation and collaboration, particularly in response to:

• rising cost pressures 
   

• underinsurance
   

• impact of natural disasters on customers at the point of repair 

“Something I really value is consultation and collaboration, bringing together diverse and talented thought leaders from across the insurance industry to help shape the betterment of our sector,” she says.  

That work reflects a broader shift across the profession. As regulatory expectations rise and risk becomes more complex, the role of insurance professionals is expanding beyond technical delivery into governance, capability and industry coordination.

As ANZIIF’s Shanks notes, “Insurance professionals are now operating across a far broader capability spectrum than even a decade ago. Adaptation requires a rethink of how value is delivered, how performance is measured and how experience is transferred before it exits the industry altogether.” 

The opportunity also lies in how deliberately organisations invest in people to meet those demands. Deloitte’s Murray adds, “The biggest opportunity is to invest in the human side of transformation as deliberately as the technology.”
 

For Brown, the past year has been defined by advising on one of the most significant transactions in the sector. He was part of the lead advisory team to RAA on the sale of its insurance business to Allianz, delivering a $642-million outcome and a record multiple for an insurance transaction. 

The engagement reflected how Brown operates, with a focus on building long-term trust and working closely with clients to embed strategy within the organisation. Appointed ahead of traditional investment banks, his team worked alongside RAA’s leadership, balancing commercial outcomes with member and brand considerations. 

“It was our track record in executing and really understanding our clients’ strategic aspirations, which allowed us to be able to deliver on the business case across culture, customer and commercials. This built our credibility within the organisation,” he says. 

That approach reflects a broader shift across the industry, where leadership is increasingly defined by judgement and accountability in complex, high-stakes environments. As ANZIIF’s Shanks notes, “Roles are now shifting towards higher-value decision-making, accountability and risk interpretation, often in situations where outcomes are contested or emotionally charged.” 

Building ahead of the market rather than waiting for it to move has been the focus for Scutts over the previous 12 months. He led the development of a native agent protocol through CoverMy, designed for a future where customers interact with insurance through AI assistants that can gather information, compare options and connect them directly with brokers. 

The model reflects how Scutts works, focusing on practical application and building systems that improve outcomes for both customers and intermediaries. In his view, progress comes from acting early, even if solutions are not fully formed, rather than waiting for industry-wide change. 

“If you want to make an improvement in the industry or your business, you’ve just got to do it yourself and make things work,” he says. “It might not be 100% of what you wanted, but if you can get it 80% there, that’s much better than waiting on the industry to make a move.” 

That approach points to a broader shift in how products and services are evolving, with technology enabling new ways of connecting customers with advice. ANZIIF’s Shanks notes, “In products and services, this capability uplift is enabling a shift away from transactional cover towards more advisory-led solutions.” 

Deloitte’s Murray says that the firm’s Human Capital Trends report shows organisations that intentionally design human-AI collaboration are 2.5 times more likely to report strong financial results and twice as likely to deliver meaningful work.  

“In practical terms, this means strengthening middle‑management capability, where execution is often won or lost, prioritising targeted AI use cases with clear ROI rather than broad pilots, and innovating in products and ecosystems where insurers cannot act alone, particularly in areas such as climate affordability and mental health,” he says.

Trust compounds over time 

Lowenstein believes relationships are not a by-product of the work. Operating across brokers, clients and capacity providers requires a long-term view, where outcomes are built on consistency, transparency and shared value. Growth, in his view, comes from earning trust incrementally and maintaining it through both strong and difficult periods. 

He says, “Relationships and trust are the foundation of everything we do … all outcomes need to result in a win for all parties.” 

Value must be explicit 

Middleton approaches every decision through a single lens: value. Whether working across claims, regulation or industry initiatives, the question is not whether something can be done, but whether it should be done and who benefits. That discipline keeps work focused and measurable, particularly in an environment where demands are expanding.  

“I ask myself: how does this benefit our clients, customers, internal teams and shareholders, and how would I quantify value if asked?,” she says. 
  

Trust is built through delivery 

Brown argues that trust is not positioning; it is earned through execution. His approach is grounded in collaboration, listening and embedding within client teams to deliver results. Credibility comes from being able to translate strategy into results that matter. 

He explains, “To build this trust, you must be highly consultative, an active listener and collaborate across the whole team. You then become an extension of the client’s team.” 
 

Progress comes from building, not waiting 

Scutts adopts a different stance – his principle is action. In a sector that can move slowly, he focuses on building systems and solutions early, accepting that iteration is part of progress. For him, advantage comes from moving ahead of the market, not reacting to it. 

“The best brokerages in the next five to 10 years won’t be the ones with the most people. They’ll be the ones with the best systems,” he says. 
 

📈 AI advantage is measured in outcomes. 

• The market has moved past pilots. The divide is between firms that can apply AI within structured systems and those layering it onto weak processes.

 

🚀 Capability is becoming the limiting factor in performance. 

• Technology is widely accessible. Outcomes depend on how organisations build skills, apply judgement and turn tools into decisions across claims, underwriting and transactions. 

 

⚠️ Risk is building through accumulation across the system. 

• Climate exposure, supply constraints and underinsurance are compounding across regions and portfolios. Leaders are managing interconnected exposures that develop across multiple points at once. 

 

Top Insurance Executives and Professionals in Australia and New Zealand | Hot List 2026

• 
  Eric Lowenstein
  Chief Executive Officer
  Tego
   
  
• 
  Joshua Scutts
  Principal
  Shielded Insurance Brokers
   
  
• 
  Kate Middleton
  National Operations Manager – Disaster Recovery & Government
  ARC Projects
   
  
• 
  Luke Hill
  Chief Operating Officer
  AAMC
   
  
• 
  Rory Morison
  Managing Director, Australia
  Markel
   
  
• 
  Stuart Brown
  Chief Executive Officer
  The Bridge International
   
  
• 
  Brad Miller
  General Manager and Co-founder
  BizCover
   
  

• Adriano Bellocchi
  Managing Principal, Business Development
  Marsh
• Aisling Hegarty
  Head of Professional Indemnity
  Arch Insurance
• Amanda Whiting
  Group Executive, Enterprise Growth and Simplification
  IAG New Zealand
• Andrew Brett
  Director
  Infosure
• Angus Kench
  Company Director
  Various
• Anita Lane
  Managing Director
  CFC Australia
• Ben Qin
  Head of APAC
  Descartes Underwriting
• Billy Lynch
  Chief Executive Officer
  PPS Mutual New Zealand
• Blain Waterford
  Head of Travel for Australia and NZ
  Zurich
• Carole Tokody
  Chief Executive, Aus and NZ
  Southern Cross Travel Insurance
• Claire Gomo
  Principal, Insurance
  Hunt & Hunt Lawyers
• Colin Fagen
  Managing Director
  Blue Zebra
• Dan Cummins
  Managing Director and Founder
  SafetyCulture Care
• David Gower
  Pacific Chief Client Officer
  Lockton
• Dreeson Andrew
  Chief Financial Officer
  Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance NZ
• Felicity Cowan
  Managing Principal
  Marsh
• Frans du Plessis
  Director
  Grace Insurance
• Glenn Rowe
  Head of Counter Fraud and Investigations
  RACQ Insurance
• Heather Coutts
  Senior Account Executive, Authorised Representative
  Capstone Insurance Brokers
• Janelle Greene
  Chief Executive Officer
  NTI
• Jarrod Hill
  CEO, CGU and WFI
  IAG
• Jason Hammond
  Chief Executive Officer
  Ansvar Insurance
• Jo Mason
  Managing Director
  Market Lane Insurance Group
• Kate Greaves
  Managing Director
  Goldsworthy General Insurance
• Kent Chaplin
  Former CEO
  Delta Insurance Group
• Kezia David
  Special Counsel
  Hicksons | Hunt & Hunt | Holman Webb
• Kirsten Mills
  Head of Strategy and Operations, Affinity
  Marsh Pacific
• Laurence Basell
  Managing Director, Australia
  Specialist Risk Group
• Lionel Charmetant
  Chief Operations Officer/Deputy CEO, Personal Injury
  Gallagher Bassett
• Marc Crossman
  Executive General Manager Distribution Strategy
  UAA Group
• Marcello Negro
  Head of Product and Solutions
  Finity
• Mark Doepel
  Chairman 
  Lloyd’s Australia
• Michael Gottlieb
  Chief Executive Officer
  BizCover Australia
• Michael Wood
  Chief Executive Officer
  Woodina Underwriting Agency
• Neil Bull
  Chief Executive Officer
  Anglican Insurance and Risk Services
• Nese Akay
  Executive General Manager, Strategy & Innovation
  Community Broker Network
• Richard Klipin
  Chief Executive Officer
  NIBA
• Sam Ratcliff
  Chief Operations Officer
  Insurebuild
• Shane Brady
  Director
  Stone Lane Broking & Risk Advisory
• Stefan Feldmann
  Head of HDI Global Asia Pacific; Managing Director, HDI Global SE, Australia; Managing Director, HDI Global Specialty SE, Australia & New Zealand
  HDI Global SE
• Suzanne White
  Head of Accident & Health, Australia & Pacific
  Canopius
• Tainui McGregor
  First Party and Claims Operations Manager
  Arch Insurance
• Tanushree Arora Sopori
  Principal and Broking Operations Manager
  Fortuna Insurance Services
• Tesh Patel
  Head of Distribution for ANZ
  Canopius
• Tetiana George
  CEO and Co-Founder, Co-Chair
  Curium and Insurtech Australia
• Tim Mathieson
  CEO of Australasia Broking
  Steadfast Group
• Wendy Foweraker
  Executive General Manager Broking Operations
  Community Broker Network