CEO, APAC
DUAL
With more than 20 years in the industry, Damien Coates remains a key figure in the Australian insurance space. Coates established DUAL Australia in 2004 and has since guided it to become Australia’s largest independent underwriting agency and Lloyd’s of London’s largest intermediated coverholder in Australia. Coates also helped establish an office in Auckland in 2011, leading DUAL New Zealand to become the country’s largest underwriting agency, as well as one of its top five liability providers. Shortly thereafter, Coates spent two years as DUAL’s global CEO before returning his focus to the Asia-Pacifi c region.
This is Coates’ fifth appearance on IB’s Hot List, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only has DUAL continued to grow across the region, but the company has regularly cleaned up in IB’s annual Brokers on Underwriting Agencies survey. Brokers consistently point to the underwriter as a standout performer, particularly in the areas of D&O liability, management liability and professional indemnity.
