Insurance software house Open GI will have a new man in charge come July as Chris Guillaume (pictured), who has held the company’s top post for 11 years, takes on a non-executive role on the board.
Succeeding the long-time boss is Simon Badley, an Aviva alumnus who is making the switch from Australia-headquartered tech firm IRESS where he will step down as UK managing director at the end of June.
The incoming Open GI chief executive was CEO at Avelo before it was snapped up by IRESS in 2013. At Aviva UK, Badley served as director of intermediary and director of bancassurance.
“I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead Open GI in this exciting phase as we execute our strategic plans around the new Mobius propositions,” he commented. “The insurance industry is changing rapidly, and I believe Open GI is ideally placed to work in partnership with our highly valued customers to drive technological change and deliver sustainable competitive advantage.”
Meanwhile his predecessor is confident that Open GI’s development will be sustained by Badley, who was described by non-executive chairman Tim Robinson as a proven, quality leader.
“We have been fortunate to recruit such an experienced CEO as Simon and believe that he will make a significant and immediate impact on the industry,” said Guillaume. “It has been a pleasure seeing Open GI change and grow over the years for the benefit of our customers and staff, and I’m convinced Simon will continue that momentum.”
Robinson added: “On behalf of the board I would like to thank Chris for leading the business to the exceptionally strong position we find ourselves in today and for planning an orderly route to our next CEO.”
