Crawford Australia is taking steps to bolster its talent management and retention strategies by establishing a new leadership role within its loss adjusting divisions.
Craig McLeod (pictured) has been appointed as head of quality and people development, effective Nov. 1.
As McLeod transitions into this role, Crawford is now recruiting a new head of specialty loss adjusting to fill his current position.
Jonathan Hubbard, president of Crawford Australia, explained the strategic reasoning behind the new role.
“We are a people business; we are people helping people. And in an environment where the war for talent isn’t getting any easier, we must come up with innovative ways to stand out in the employment market and then ensure when great people join us, they choose to build their career with us long term,” he said.
In his new position, McLeod will oversee key aspects of talent management, including development, retention, and succession planning for the company’s loss adjusters.
Hubbard highlighted McLeod’s extensive experience as a significant asset in this new role.
“I’ve known Craig a very long time, and he is one of the most passionate people I’ve ever met in terms of developing young adjusters’ careers, so he really is the ideal fit for this vital role within our business,” he said. “He importantly knows adjusting like the back of his hand, having been an adjuster his entire career, and creating this role frees him up to be totally focused on our people [and] their development and enhancing the overall quality output that Crawford offers clients.”
McLeod expressed his eagerness to take on the role, focusing on employee engagement and improving talent mapping within the organisation.
“Talent mapping is something we need to do better, and making sure we are really tuned in to our high potentials who are going to be Crawford’s leading adjusters, and leaders, of tomorrow,” he said.
This new role is part of Crawford’s broader strategy to develop its workforce, which also includes initiatives like the Crawford Manager Acceleration Program (MAP) and a Leadership Development Program.
Hubbard emphasised the importance of equipping technically proficient employees with the skills needed for leadership roles through these programs.
“To become a great people leader, we believe we have a responsibility to equip people with the necessary skills to motivate and build trust; that is what MAP is all about. Well-functioning teams are another key ingredient to success,” he said.
Additionally, Crawford Australia – named one of the most diverse insurance companies in Australia and New Zealand for 2024 – made strategic hires early this month to also strengthen its operations in key loss adjusting sectors.
Stephen Toomer has joined Crawford as the head of this sector, bringing over 34 years of claims management experience across regions including South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
His expertise covers power and engineering projects, infrastructure claims, and product recalls.
Josephine Princi has been named the New South Wales team leader for Crawford’s forensic accounting division.
A chartered accountant with nearly a decade of experience, she specialises in business interruption and commercial losses.
Werner Gibson returns to Crawford as a senior adjuster within the Global Technical Services (GTS) team, focusing on large and complex property claims.
Gibson, who has a legal background and experience in loss adjusting across Australia and South Africa, brings expertise in financial crime detection and prosecution.
