Insurance veterans Stacey Williams and David Fryar have joined the workplace injury recovery services provider, Navigator Group.
Founded in 2017 by Paul Shmukler, Navigator Group enables Australians to access a wide range of specialists in one platform to prevent workplace injuries and help workers return to work quicker post injury.
Navigator Group provides at-home recovery services to cut down on and remove the need to visit physical clinics, providing injured workers in remote and rural areas with access to premium healthcare. It works with insurers to assist people following workplace or motor vehicle injury claims, using data to inform clinical decisions carried out by clinical specialists.
Stacey Williams (pictured) – who took on the role of chief commercial officer (CCO) at Navigator Group – has 23 years of experience in the Australian insurance industry, having held various senior management and executive roles and worked across major workers' compensation, general insurance, and self-insurance schemes.
She has mainly worked across personal injury, spanning the corporate, intermediary, self-insured, and pre-claim markets. She has also worked with federal and state governments, including in South Australia (Return to Work), Victoria (WorkSafe), and the Northern Territory.
“Working in the coalface of Australia's insurance and allied health sector has provided me with a deep understanding of the challenges and frustrations currently faced by Australian patients and customers,” Williams said. “It also highlighted the need for a streamlined solution for Australians recovering from mental and physical injuries, so they can be empowered to take control of their recovery.”
In 2022, David Fryar joined Navigator Group as partnerships director.
Fryar is an injury insurance executive with 25 years of experience, having held state manager positions with blue chip organisations, including Suncorp. He has experience within personal injury schemes such as icare, WorkSafe Victoria, Return to Work South Australia, and the New South Wales government.
Additionally, Fryar led EML's diversification and growth strategy into life and general insurance divisions, has worked across international broker partnerships, and spent time in the life insurance industry. He was a board member of the Personal Injury Education Foundation for 8 years.
“Working in the insurance and the personal injury space for over 20 years has led me to understand where change is needed,” Fryar said. “I wanted to be in a position to disrupt the market to achieve better outcomes for injured people and their organisations.”
