Insurance Council of Australia Board Appoints New CEO

SYDNEY, Australia, May 19 -- The Insurance Council of Australia issued the following news release:

The Board of the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) announced the appointment of Mr Andrew Hall as the new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Insurance Council. Mr Hall joins the ICA from the Commonwealth Bank, where he has spent the past seven years as Executive General Manager for Corporate Affairs. He will start with the ICA in early September.

Insurance Council President and Chairman Gary Dransfield said Mr Hall's corporate affairs and public policy experience would be critical in driving the ICA and the general insurance industry through the challenges of Australia's pandemic recovery and a raft of regulatory, consumer and economic issues.

"Andrew's appointment follows an extensive national recruitment process, and the Board is pleased he has agreed to join the organisation. His wealth of experience is a natural fit for this role," Mr Dransfield said.

"His corporate knowledge, and his understanding of customers, the regulatory and political environments and the financial services sector, will help him chart the ICA's advocacy program to elevate the value of insurance both to our economy and our society."

Mr Hall said: "General insurance plays a vital role in the Australian economy and will be crucial as we recover from the dual hits of the pandemic and bushfire crisis.

"Insurance will also need to continue tackling the challenges of climate change and important regulatory changes, while also transitioning to the new Code of Practice, which must meet and exceed community expectations.

"I am delighted to join the ICA which has a strong reputation for staunch advocacy on behalf of the industry, its customers and the Australian community more broadly."

Outgoing CEO Rob Whelan will continue to serve until further notice.

Mr Dransfield said: "On behalf of the ICA Board I thank Rob for his contribution to the industry and the ICA for the past decade. We are grateful he is able to continue in his role for several months until Andrew is able to start at the organisation."

BIOGRAPHY - ANDREW HALL

Andrew is joining the Insurance Council of Australia in September from the Commonwealth Bank, where he served as the Executive General Manager for Corporate Affairs for seven years. At CBA he was responsible for the management of CBA's corporate reputation, public affairs and sustainability.

He was previously Director of Corporate and Public Affairs for Woolworths Limited for six years, overseeing a similar portfolio and participating as a member of the Management Board.

Andrew's professional career started as a journalist in regional New South Wales in 1994, before moving to Canberra in 1996 where he worked in federal politics for 10 years as a ministerial media advisor. From 2001 to 2007 he was the Federal Director of the Nationals, leading the party as campaign director for federal elections.

His expertise in the corporate affairs profession has been recognised with admission to the Arthur W. Page Society, recognition in the International Top 50 Corporate Affairs Professionals (Salt & Shein 2014) and in the inaugural award of Top 50 Outstanding LGBTI Leaders in Australia (Deloitte 2016) for his work in leadership roles, diversity and on the Board of Equality Australia for the marriage equality campaign.

He has extensive experience in governance, both in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors. He serves on the boards of Rural Aid, and The Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.

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ABOUT THE INSURANCE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA:

The Insurance Council of Australia is the representative body of the general insurance industry in Australia. Our members represent about 95 per cent of total premium income written by private sector general insurers. Insurance Council members, both insurers and reinsurers, are a significant part of the financial services system. December 2019 Australian Prudential Regulation Authority statistics show that the general insurance industry generates gross written premium of $50.2 billion a year and has total assets of $129.7 billion. The industry employs about 60,000 people and on average pays out about $152.3 million in claims each working day. Industry underwriting profit for the year to June 30, 2019, was $2.3 billion.

Insurance Council members provide insurance products ranging from those usually purchased by individuals (such as home and contents insurance, travel insurance, motor vehicle insurance) to those purchased by small businesses and larger organisations (such as product and public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, commercial property, and directors and officers insurance).