Bupa, Descartes Underwriting, and Wotton Kearney have each announced senior leadership changes that will affect their activities linked to the Australian market, spanning health and aged care, parametric and specialty lines, and insurance-focused legal and advisory services.
Bupa has confirmed that Andrew Kinkade (pictured), managing director of Bupa Villages and Aged Care Australia (BVAC) and chief customer officer, will leave the business in July to take up an external role. Kinkade joined Bupa in 2021 to lead Bupa Dental in Australia and later moved into the BVAC role, adding the chief customer officer responsibilities over the past six months. Bupa APAC CEO Nick Stone said Kinkade had led significant change across the group’s aged care portfolio. “Andrew has spearheaded an incredible transformation of our aged care business, alongside the team, delivering customer-centred outcomes and driving efficiencies during a notably challenging period for both our business and the sector. Today, we have strong customer satisfaction, based on our resident and family surveys, and a business that continues to grow to meet rising demand for quality residential aged care. I want to thank Andrew for his significant contribution and dedication to Bupa. He leaves the business in a strong position for the future, with an experienced team focused on delivering high quality care for residents,” he said.
To manage the transition, Bupa has appointed Jayant Krishnan, currently finance director for BVAC Australia, as interim managing director. Krishnan and Kinkade will work together over the coming months to hand over responsibilities and maintain continuity across Bupa’s aged care facilities. Stone said Krishnan has led the BVAC finance team for almost four years and has taken on a broader leadership role since Kinkade assumed responsibility for customer and strategy at Bupa. Krishnan, who joined Bupa in 2010, has held several senior finance roles within the group. He is a chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.
In parametric and specialty (re)insurance, Descartes Underwriting has expanded its executive committee by appointing Jean Hermelin as its first chief strategy officer, a global role that includes oversight of Asia-Pacific and the group’s Australian-related business. Reporting to CEO and co-founder Tanguy Touffut, Hermelin will be responsible for defining group strategy and overseeing its implementation, with a remit to identify growth opportunities and support operational and sales efficiency across Descartes’ parametric offerings for climate, cyber, and other emerging risks. Hermelin has more than 12 years’ experience at Oliver Wyman, where he led transformation and commercial effectiveness programs for international insurance companies. His work has included business development initiatives, partnership negotiations, and operating model projects.
Descartes said the role is being introduced as the business continues to grow. The company exceeded US$250 million in premiums in 2025 and is targeting US$500 million within three years, supported by products for data centres, flood risk, and parametric reinsurance. The group writes more than 40% of its portfolio in North America and about 25% in Asia-Pacific through its broker network. Marketing functions have also been reorganised, with content creation and lead generation aligned to the chief insurance officer’s department, while branding, external communications, and events sit within the CEO’s office.
Law firm Wotton Kearney, which advises insurers and intermediaries across Australia and the wider region, has appointed senior technology and advisory partner Iain McGuire as its first chief technology and AI officer. The role brings together the firm’s technology, artificial intelligence, and transformation functions and supports the firm’s Advisory practice, which sits alongside its traditional legal services. The move follows Wotton Kearney’s May 2024 adoption of Cicero, described as the first fully generative AI tool developed for the Australian legal sector, and its continued investment in a team focused on digital change in legal processes.
McGuire will continue as a partner, working with clients through the Advisory practice on technology-related and other emerging risks, including cyber and governance issues. He joins from consulting firm Cognizant, where he was managing partner and vice president across Asia-Pacific. Before that, he held senior roles at Deloitte and PwC, advising large organisations and government agencies on technology transformation, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and governance risk.
Wotton Kearney chief executive partner David Kearney said client expectations and the firm’s strategic direction underpinned the creation of the new position. “We’re fully committed to investing in digital transformation, optimising our IT systems, and fostering innovation to enhance our operational efficiency and improve client service delivery. Iain’s appointment also strengthens our ability to bring together legal, advisory and technology capability – delivering more integrated, end-to-end solutions for our clients. This is a natural next step following the launch of WK Advisory and reinforces our commitment to investing in platforms to support both our people and clients in an increasingly complex digital environment,” he said.
McGuire said the firm’s trajectory and plans for its Advisory offering were central to his decision. “Wotton Kearney is at a pivotal point in its evolution. I’m genuinely excited to play a key role in championing cutting-edge solutions to drive our digital transformation and shaping the future of Wotton Kearney’s new Advisory practice. It’s a fantastic opportunity to help redefine how we support our people and clients in today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape,” he said.
