Chubb has announced the creation of a small commercial and mid-market division today, set to be spearheaded by industry veteran Mike Hooton.
Hooton, who was formerly the CEO of Calibre Commercial Insurance, has been working with Chubb on a consulting basis for the last 10 months.
“Mike’s strategic thinking and deep understanding of the market will be invaluable as we pursue growth in the small and mid-market segments,” said Chubb country president, Jarrod Hill.
“The establishment of this new division will lead to improvements in the small and mid-market broker and client experience,” he added.
Hill also noted that brokers have been starting to experience Chubb’s small commercial proposition, accessing crafted products via online trading platforms.
“The logical next phase of this development is for mid-market businesses,” he said. “We intend to craft product solutions for this segment and find efficiencies in how we service them while we continue to maintain focus on distribution via our broking partners.”
In building out the small and mid-market division (SMD) Chubb is also investing in a series of new senior roles including a leader for middle market and a head of MGAs, schemes and facilities.
In addition to the new division and external appointment, Chubb also confirmed the promotion of Jason Hawksworth, who has stepped into the role of head of distribution for Australia and New Zealand.
Hawksworth brings two decades of insurance industry experience to the table, the past four of which were spent at Chubb.
“Jason is practical, professional and pragmatic and he has earned an excellent reputation,” said Hill. “I have no doubt that he is ideally placed to implement Chubb’s strategic intent of being a market leading intermediated distribution company.”
In his previous role as head of Chubb’s independent broker unit, Hawksworth achieved strong growth with independent brokers and deepened broker relationships via the Cornerstone partner program.
“While we are delighted to be winning new business and getting voted by brokers as NIBA General Insurer of the Year, we know there is so much more we need to do to make it easier and more productive for brokers to trade with Chubb,” said Hill.
“Jason’s leadership will be critical in driving service improvements and value with benefits flowing to brokers and clients.”
