Cowbell has appointed insurance veteran Gerry Power as its inaugural general manager for Australia, signalling a serious escalation of the cyber specialist's ambitions in a market where brokers are under mounting pressure to deliver sophisticated digital risk solutions to their clients.
"Australia is a key market for Cowbell as we continue to expand internationally," said Jack Kudale (pictured), founder and CEO of Cowbell.
The newly created role underscores what the company described in a media release as a commitment to building a scaled, broker-focused cyber insurance business locally. Power will lead market development, shape distribution strategy and oversee the build-out of Cowbell's domestic operations, working with brokers to deliver cyber cover designed to respond to rapidly evolving digital threats.
He will work alongside Anthony Wall, Cowbell's head of underwriting for Australia, to maintain disciplined underwriting standards and ensure alignment with the insurer's global risk framework — a structure Cowbell is keen to preserve as it scales.
Power arrives with more than 35 years of experience spanning underwriting, distribution and governance. He has built and scaled professional risk businesses through multiple market cycles and brings with him a deep network of relationships across the Australian broker community — a critical asset in a market where intermediated distribution remains the dominant route to cyber buyers.
"Gerry brings deep market experience and strong broker relationships, which are critical to building a cyber insurance business that is both practical and responsive to local needs," said Kudale. "His leadership will help us support brokers with clear, tailored solutions that strengthen how they protect their clients."
The appointment lands as Cowbell's Australian operation takes its place within a broader international footprint that already includes established businesses in the United States, United Kingdom and India. For brokers, a main message is that Cowbell intends to be more than a fly-in, fly-out cyber player.
Most recently Power was head of sales at Emergence Insurance where he helped grow that business into one of Australia's leading specialist cyber underwriting agencies. Before that, at CGU, he led the insurer's entry into the Australian cyber market as senior underwriter and cyber subject matter expert, underwriting a broad professional lines book that included cyber, professional indemnity, management liability and directors' and officers' cover.
His expertise extends into AFSL governance, underwriting agency operations and broker distribution strategy — capabilities that will be central to how Cowbell positions itself in conversations with intermediaries.
The appointment, Cowbell said in the release, reflects its focus on strengthening broker partnerships through clear, practical cyber insurance solutions backed by local expertise. The insurer has indicated it will continue to invest in the Australian market, pairing experienced leadership with specialist cyber underwriting capability to support what it describes as sustainable, long-term growth.
For Australian brokers wrestling with clients facing an ever-broader array of cyber exposures — from ransomware and supply chain attacks to regulatory scrutiny over data handling — the arrival of another well-capitalised, broker-focused capacity provider with senior local leadership is likely to be welcomed.
