Specialist agricultural insurer Achmea Australia has announced a new CEO for its operations in Australia.
Emma Thomas will take on the role from Timo van Voorden, who will return to the Netherlands having set up the Australian arm of the Dutch firm five years ago.
Thomas will join the business from FMG Insurance, New Zealand’s largest rural insurer, having spent a decade with the firm.
During this time, Thomas has held various roles at FMG including head of sales, service and operations, head of advice and sales and financial controller.
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“It has been an absolute dream job to build Achmea Australia from the ground up, and to recruit such a great group of people to do it with me,” van Voorden said.
Thomas said that the agribusiness insurance model has a more important place now than ever before as recent disasters have shown.
“Having seen first-hand the devastating impacts – both commercially and personally – of natural disasters and storm events on the farming community, the mutual ethos has a very important role in the Australian insurance industry,” Thomas said.
“I look forward to building on the proud history Achmea has in supporting rural businesses and putting clients first.”
Achmea is a mutual-based insurer which counts Rabobank as one of its major stakeholders.
Thomas will join the company later this month.
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