Vero Insurance has appointed Sonya Whitney (pictured above) as executive manager, rural insurance solutions.

In this role, which she assumed last month, Whitney leads the product development and underwriting functions of Vero’s rural insurance team. She will initially focus on creating more efficient processes in the insurer’s rural portfolio, as well as meeting and supporting brokers through training and upskilling on rural matters.

Whitney has extensive experience in the insurance industry, including in operations, insurance products and business improvement. She was previously chief operating officer of Cove Insurance, and, prior to that, general insurance product manager at Medical Assurance Society. Earlier in her career, she was product manager and business improvement analyst at FMG.

Whitney said she was excited by the opportunity to work with brokers and farming customers to support them as they adapt to their changing environment through things like new technologies.

“There are lots of opportunities for us to do things differently by taking a broader view of the solutions farmers need to help them manage their financial wellbeing,” she said. “Farmers are hit with a lot of frustrations, and we want to ensure that insurance isn’t one of them.”