QBE has named Margaret Murphy as Group Chief Human Resources Officer.

“Developing world-class talent is one of the central themes of QBE’s focused strategic agenda, and [Ms Murphy] has the energy and experience to ensure we have the structure, skills and people to drive success,” QBE Group CEO John Neal said.

Ms Murphy was previously chief of staff to the group human resources director at banking group Barclays, and has extensive human resources experience across various industries.

She will be based at QBE’s Sydney head office and takes over from Jenni Smith, who is leaving at the end of the year.

QBE has more than 14,500 employees in 37 countries.