Former Clayton Utz chief executive partner and board member Robert Cutler has joined IAG as its Group General Counsel.

“I welcome the contribution Robert will make to our leadership team, and IAG,” CEO Nick Hawkins said last week. “In addition to his legal career, he has extensive governance experience as a member of various boards and has advised on regulatory and risk management matters for private and public organisations.”

Mr Cutler was with Clayton Utz for 33 years, joining the law firm in Sydney in 1991 and becoming a partner in 1998. He has also been a director of the non-profit Clayton Utz Foundation and is a member of the Law Society of NSW. 

The Federal Government’s BoardLinks program, which connects women with government board opportunities, says he is an active supporter of diversity in the workplace and became a “BoardLinks champion” in 2015. Mr Cutler is also a former member of the Business Council of Australia Economic Policy and Competitiveness Committee and Regulatory and Compliance Committee.

The group general counsel role has been filled on an interim basis by Karen Ingram, who is leaving IAG after a short handover period.

The insurer announced on December 6 that previous group general counsel and company secretary Peter Horton was leaving after his behaviour fell short of expectations set out in IAG’s employee code of ethics and conduct.