Michael Ussher is deputy chief executive officer of DUAL's Asia-Pacific business and Australian managing director, based in Adelaide. He joined DUAL in 2006 from a claims background and has spent 27 years in the insurance industry. Under his leadership, DUAL has grown from a 2004 startup into a business writing more than $500 million in gross written premium across Australia and New Zealand. That business now supports over 3,800 brokerages and spans 21-plus products across six product lines.
Michael Ussher is deputy chief executive officer of DUAL's Asia-Pacific business and Australian managing director, a position he added to his existing brief in 2025. He is based in Adelaide and commutes regularly to DUAL offices around the country. His responsibilities span insurance and distribution, legal and governance, HR and people, and sales and marketing. Ussher has guided his career by a principle borrowed from Richard Branson. 'If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes, then learn how to do it later!' he says. That willingness to step into unfamiliar roles has defined his 27 years across the industry and underpins how he approaches leadership today at one of Australia's most active specialty insurers.
Ussher began his career at a claims desk in Melbourne before joining DUAL in 2006 and moving into underwriting. That grounding has stayed with him across every subsequent role. Seeing policies perform under stress gave him a practical reference point that careers built purely in underwriting do not always produce. 'Starting in claims gave me a pretty practical view of insurance. I saw the outcome when something goes wrong, which gave me a different perspective when assessing risk,' he explains. That early experience now informs how he reads risk across a book covering financial lines, cyber, accident and health, general liability and transactional risk, making claims experience a quiet but consistent thread through his underwriting judgement.
Authenticity is the most consistent theme in how Ussher describes his 27-year career in Australian insurance. He draws a deliberate line between backing yourself into unfamiliar roles and faking the relationships those roles demand. Brokers and colleagues, in his experience, are practised at spotting the difference. 'The biggest lesson I've learned, and probably the best piece of advice I've ever received, is simply to be yourself... I think people respond to genuine conversations and genuine intent,' he says. That same instinct works in the other direction. 'It has also helped me develop a good radar for when expectations aren't realistic or when someone might be trying to paint a picture that doesn't quite match reality,' Ussher explains. Authenticity, for him, is both a personal standard and a practical business tool.
Ussher describes his approach to leadership in terms that have nothing to do with authority or ready answers. He frames the role as an act of listening, asking useful questions and clearing the path for others. He also keeps a sense of humour close at hand in a field defined by complexity. 'As a leader, hopefully people would describe me as approachable and authentic. My view is that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about listening, asking good questions and helping people succeed,' he says. On levity, he adds: 'We deal with complex risks and challenging situations, but my view is there's always room for some fun and humour. You can take the work seriously without taking yourself too seriously.' That balance between rigour and approachability shapes how his teams operate across the DUAL Australia business.
DUAL Australia started as a startup in 2004. It has since grown into a business writing more than $500 million in gross written premium across Australia and New Zealand, supported by over 40 technical underwriters and more than 3,800 brokerages. Ussher does not frame that milestone as a personal achievement. 'To now be $500 million GWP across ANZ shows what can be achieved when lots of talented people have the opportunity to collaborate together,' he says. DUAL is also part of a global group of over 1,750 people operating in 21 countries, writing approximately US$3.2 billion in gross written premium. Ussher watched each stage of that growth from the inside, across roles in Perth, Sydney, New Zealand and his current position overseeing the ANZ business.
Two people stand out when Ussher speaks about mentorship. He credits DUAL's co-founders with a generosity that has shaped his thinking over many years. 'DUAL's co-founders Damien Coates and Leo Abbruzzo have both been incredibly generous with their strong mentorship over the years, and I've learned countless lessons from them,' he says. He is equally clear that the credit extends well beyond two names. 'The reality is that no one succeeds on their own. I've been fortunate to learn so many lessons from a lot of people,' Ussher adds. His steepest learning curve came when he relocated to Perth as Western Australia manager from 2012, leading a team of brokers he barely knew while far from family and friends. That posting shaped the leader he became.
Ussher's answer to what drives him rarely changes, and it has little to do with premium volumes. 'What I enjoy most is the people. I get to work with such talented people every day, including team members who've become some of my closest friends,' he says. The achievement he returns to most often is watching careers develop over time. 'I'm consistently proud and humbled to see the personal and professional growth of people I've had the privilege to work with, manage or lead over periods of time,' he adds. His own retirement threshold is equally personal. 'The moment winning a deal stops being exciting is probably the day I know it's time to retire,' Ussher says. After 27 years, that moment shows no sign of arriving.
Michael Ussher: deputy chief executive officer (Asia-Pacific) and Australian managing director, DUAL; 27 years in the insurance industry; joined DUAL in 2006 from a claims background; WA manager from 2012; Sydney leadership roles followed by New Zealand business responsibility from 2018; appointed Australian managing director in 2025; based in Adelaide.