Incoming Austbrokers CEO Mark Searles says he will focus on supporting brokers with a lower-cost solution for their business operations.

Mr Searles – whose appointment was revealed in an insuranceNEWS.com.au Breaking News bulletin this morning - is on “gardening leave” until he starts the job on January 1, having quit CGU as GM Broker & Agent.

Outgoing veteran CEO Lach McKeough will become an adviser to Austbrokers, specialising in acquisitions.

Mr Searles says he will initially focus on the company’s current strategy, including driving forward the iClose platform.

“My second area of focus will be on the continued delivery of cost-efficient solutions to enable the brokerage network to meet their operational requirements,” he said.

“Finally, I will be commencing a review of future value-add opportunities driven by customer need that the Austbrokers network can leverage.”

Chairman Richard Longes says Mr Searles was appointed after a “significant search” and will bring wide experience in broking and the manufacturing side of the industry to lead the company’s next development phase.

“Importantly from our point of view he has significant background in IT development,” Mr Longes told a news conference this morning.

He says Austbrokers remains eager to acquire and sees opportunities when many brokers are at an age when they want to move on.

Austbrokers recently renewed the AIMS joint-venture broking agreement with IBNA. Mr Longes says AIMS is an important part of the business “and something we treasure”.

Mr McKeough will stand down after 27 years as CEO. As an adviser he will look for acquisitions in the broking and underwriting agency segments.

CGU recruited Mr Searles in 2010 from Zurich Financial Services in the UK, where he had been chief marketing officer and head of channel marketing for Europe. As GM Broker & Agent at CGU he was charged with making the insurer more responsive to brokers.