Former AIG chairman and Starr International MD Maurice “Hank” Greenberg will cement his company’s position in the Australian market when a subsidiary operation starts work in Sydney next week.

However, sister company CV Starr is no stranger to the local market, having spent the past three years using its Asia-Pacific operation to service Australian and NZ clients.

Australasia Regional Manager Geoff Henderson says the company has been focusing on providing property, casualty and marine insurance products to the region for the past three or four years with the help of a Lloyd’s syndicate.

He told insuranceNEWS.com.au that although CV Starr has been servicing its Australasian clients from a base in Hong Kong, it’s now “time to move closer” to its clients in the local market.

“But our number one selling point is that we want to turn quotes around quickly and provide a service to the local market,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

The new operation has been more than 12 months in the making, with Mr Henderson spending the past five months getting it ready.

CV Starr will be offering its clients a range of insurance products from construction and property to casualty and marine.