Southern Cross Travel Insurance strengthens executive team

Southern Cross Travel Insurance strengthens executive team in line with growth strategy

Eight months into his role Southern Cross Travel Insurance’s Chief Executive Chris White has wasted no time implementing a fresh new approach for the business. He has started with three senior appointments to support the company’s vision for growth in Australia and New Zealand.

Into a completely new structure, White has brought three key players, with a total of fifty years’ senior management experience between them, to drive his vision for the market leading travel insurer.

They join Chief Financial Officer Louise Newsome who has been with the Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) team since 2009 and was recently promoted to the newly created role. Together with a pending appointment to Head of Risk and Compliance, they make up an executive team of six.

“I have absolute confidence this team will, together, bring new ideas and energy to what is already a highly successful and iconic business,” says Chris White. “We have exciting and bold plans for our operations in both Australia and New Zealand and these senior appointments signal our commitment to continued growth and developing new opportunities in both markets.”

The three new appointees reflect a strengthening of the executive team and include:

David White, Chief Operating Officer, will begin work with SCTI in March 2018, joining from nib, where he has been Head of Operations for four years. His more than 25 years’ experience extends across a breadth of leadership roles spanning digital and information technology, strategic initiatives, operations, systems and financial management. His CV reflects a seven-year stint with AIA, eight years with AXA and eight years with KPMG.

Commenting on his appointment, David White said “It’s a great time to be joining the company. I am looking forward to building on Southern Cross Travel Insurance’s already excellent reputation”

Jo McCauley, Chief Customer Officer, joined SCTI in November 2017 to look after sales, product and marketing. Jo came from a role as Head of Sales and Marketing at The Warehouse Group Financial Services. Prior to that she led acquisition marketing with GE Capital in NZ and also has several years of international product and marketing experience managing direct to consumer insurance portfolios with Tesco Bank in the UK.

Sharon Weymouth, Head of People and Performance, was appointed to the role in October 2017 having joined the company after nine years with Sovereign, where she held several HR roles prior to moving into Senior Manager roles within Customer Retention and Growth Operations. Her role at SCTI sees her return to strategic HR; an area she has worked extensively within the Healthcare, Retail and Financial Services industries.

Other key non-executive appointments include the following newly-created roles:
• Nick Bassett – Head of Marketing
• Dave Linstead – Head of IT
• Hema Nair – Underwriting Manager
ENDS

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