Suncorp has appointed Bridget Messer Chief Risk Officer after a recruitment drive that began in mid 2021.

A Queenslander, Ms Messer will relocate from the UK to take the Brisbane-based role early next year.

“The iconic Suncorp brand is very familiar to me and I am looking forward to returning home to work with teams across the business to continue to embed a strong rigour and focus on managing risk,” she said.

The change comes after the promotion of Fiona Thompson, who was CRO for five years, to a new Group Executive, People, Culture & Advocacy role in June.

Ms Messer has spent 16 years at trading platform IG Group Holdings where she was most recently Executive Director and Chief Commercial Officer and previously held Global Head of Compliance and General Counsel roles. She was formerly a solicitor at Deutsche Bank.

“Ensuring we have strong risk oversight, culture and strategy remains critical as we navigate today’s regulatory environment and as Suncorp focuses on digital and technology-led growth,” Suncorp CEO Steve Johnston said.