IAG, Bupa, and Wotton Kearney have announced separate leadership changes affecting their Australian operations, marking movements across underwriting, health insurance, and legal advisory services to the sector. The developments include a new group executive role at IAG, the planned departure of Bupa’s Asia-Pacific chief financial officer, and a senior cyber-focused appointment at Wotton Kearney in Brisbane.
IAG has appointed Amanda Whiting (pictured) to a newly created group leadership team role of group executive, enterprise growth, and simplification, with responsibilities that cut across the group’s businesses, including Australia. Whiting has been chief executive of IAG New Zealand for the past four and a half years. Her transition follows her decision to return to Australia. Phil Gibson has been appointed chief executive of IAG New Zealand and has commenced in that role.
IAG managing director and chief executive Nick Hawkins said Whiting’s prior positions in both markets were central to the decision. “Amanda is a strong leader and an important member of our executive team. This new role will leverage her track record in driving growth and delivering results, both in her time leading our New Zealand business and before that in various leadership roles in Australia. Amanda has a deep understanding of market dynamics, customer needs, and preferences, and how to deliver distinct and differentiated strategies for retention and growth,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the position also has a clear process and structure focus. “At the same time, she appreciates the need to continually simplify our organisation, in service of our customers and our growth ambitions. This will be the focus of this enterprise-level role. It is an exciting and challenging time, as we help more customers prepare for and recover from adversity, and continue our leadership role in advocating for risk reduction, ensuring a sustainable and insurable future for Australia and New Zealand. Our newly expanded group leadership team has the diversity and depth of expertise required to deliver on our purpose, strategy, and aspirations,” he said.
Bupa has confirmed that its Asia-Pacific chief financial officer, Stuart Hooper, will leave the organisation at the end of March after two years in the role. He plans to step away from corporate responsibilities to focus on his agribusiness in regional Victoria. Bupa APAC chief executive Nick Stone said Hooper’s time as CFO coincided with a series of new projects across the regional business since joining in February 2024. “Stuart has been part of Bupa during a transformative time as we’ve launched important customer initiatives such as our digital platform, Blua, pharmacogenomics, and our expansion into Medical Centres and Mindplace, our mental health clinics. I want to thank Stuart for his contribution to the business, and I’m confident the team is well placed to continue building the momentum he has helped create. I wish him and his family well for the future,” Stone said.
Bupa has begun a search for a new APAC CFO. The position covers financial management across health insurance and broader health and care operations in Australia and other Asia-Pacific markets, including capital management, performance reporting, and support for regional growth plans. The change comes as Bupa develops its digital health and care offerings, areas in which the finance function plays a role in investment decisions, risk management, and pricing across insurance and related services.
Wotton Kearney (WK) has appointed Brisbane-based partner Leah Mooney to its Cyber, Data, and Technology (CDT) practice, which the firm describes as its largest specialist practice in the Asia-Pacific region. The appointment adds further senior capability to its advisory work on cyber, data, and technology risk for insurers, brokers, and insureds. Mooney joins from Willis Towers Watson, where she led the Pacific technology, cyber, and privacy consulting practice. She has more than 20 years’ experience in data protection, privacy, cyber security law, technology governance, and incident response. Her work has included privacy program design and uplift, AI governance, critical infrastructure issues, identity verification, data sharing legislation, data breach response, and data minimisation.
The appointment follows other senior additions to the CDT group in Australia and Singapore, including Lana Remedi and Pippa Austin, as well as the appointment of Matt O’Keefe to help build Wotton Kearney’s front-end advisory offering in cyber, data and technology. Kieran Doyle, head of cyber, data, and technology at Wotton Kearney, said Mooney’s appointment responds to shifts in regulation and technology use. “Leah’s experience in data and AI governance further strengthens our ability to assist clients in cyber preparedness and mitigating governance risks in an age where regulation and law is evolving rapidly to keep pace with uptake of new technology, ever increasing the risk surface for our clients. This expanded bench ensures we can support our clients through the full lifecycle of cyber and data risk, across legal and advisory, driving real value and resilience outcomes for our clients,” Doyle said.
Mooney’s background includes senior roles at KPMG Law and MinterEllison, as well as in-house positions advising on cyber security, privacy, technology contracts, foreign interference, and regulatory compliance. Commenting on her move, Mooney said: “This is a pivotal time for the cyber, data, and technology landscape. Organisations are facing unprecedented geopolitical risks and regulatory, operational, and reputational pressures, and I’m passionate about helping clients build maturity, resilience, and confidence as they navigate these challenges. WK’s integrated legal and advisory model is exactly what the market needs, and I’m excited to contribute to the firm’s next phase of growth.” Founded in 2002, Wotton Kearney now has more than 100 partners and over 500 legal professionals across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Thailand, and acts for insurance sector clients on cyber, data, and technology matters.
