Gow has been dealing with property claims for more than 30 years, holding various positions across all policy classes. He began his career at major insurer Insurance Australia Group (IAG), working on claims and loss adjusting, then worked with Cunningham Lindsey as a loss adjuster and regional manager.
CHU CEO Kimberley Jonsson commended Gow's knowledge of the insurance industry and proven track record in claims, which are ideal attributes to support the company's customer focus and claims experience.
“The head of claims is a critical role between CHU's operations and our clients to ensure that key client needs are met and, where possible, exceeded in the claims process to deliver on our promise,” Jonsson added.
Despite a tough two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CHU has remained resilient and continued to offer solutions to its customers, even during other events such as the magnitude 5.9 earthquake that hit near the Victorian town of Rawson on September 22.
In a recent interview with Insurance Business, Jonsson discussed the hard insurance market, the challenges the agency faced when the pandemic hit the country, its relationship with its broking partners, and what it did following the magnitude 5.9 earthquake.
Jonsson explained that the COVID-19 lockdowns made it challenging to identify and rectify building defects following the earthquake, one of the major issues in the country, especially for new builds.
“The pandemic lockdowns have meant serious challenges in getting owners back on their feet when they have to make a claim,” Jonsson said. “Lockdowns have also delayed normal claims repairs, often limiting activities to necessary make-safe work and deferring non-safety repairs.”
As a result, CHU created a specific earthquake claim submission form to streamline the claim lodgement and triage process. It was designed to be completed by each affected lot owner, consolidated into the claim submission for the strata property, and then sent to all broking partners.
