Andrew Beaton is stepping down from his managing director position at DUAL New Zealand, according to a statement released by the underwriting agency.
Leo Abbruzzo, who is current general manager of Australia, will be expanding his role to take on New Zealand as well.
Beaton, who has had a career spanning 25 years in the industry, is taking some time to focus on the next phase of his career after two years in the role, the company said.
“During his tenure at DUAL, Andrew was responsible for launching the successful commercial property portfolio before stepping into the role of managing director where he recruited a market leading team of 27 with significant expertise across liability and property underwriting and claims,” DUAL said.
As co-founder of DUAL Asia Pacific, Abbruzzo has been in the insurance industry for over 30 years.
He has previously worked in the NZ market and will be working closely with the NZ leadership team of Martin Stroud (underwriting director) and Mike Vincent (claims manager), the company said.
Beaton will be providing support to Abbruzzo through the transition period until the end of February 2017.
Damien Coates, Asia Pacific CEO, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Andrew for his contribution and the foundations he has laid with the new team to prepare the business for the next stage of growth.
“As the largest independent underwriting agency in New Zealand, our local DUAL team has a significant presence in the market with 18,000 policyholders.
“With Leo’s leadership we will be able to further leverage the strength and innovation in the SME and mid-market for which DUAL Australasia has become renowned.”
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