Zurich General Insurance has appointed a senior manager with local and international experience as the EGM of its crucial SME business.

Bobby Lehane replaces Shaun Feely, who has announced he will take a “career break” from the end of July to engage in charitable work in southeast Asia.

Daniel Fogarty, who will take over as CEO when Shane Doyle leaves at the end of June, says Mr Lehane is “a proven executive with a strong record of building high-performance teams and delivering results”.

Irish-born Mr Lehane moved to Australia in 2001 and joined Zurich Financial Services Australia as CIO in November 2007. He was a key member of the senior team managing the general insurance, life insurance and investments business across Australia and New Zealand.

In June 2009 he was promoted to CIO for Zurich in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions.

In January last year he became COO of Zurich General Insurance Asia-Pacific.

Mr Lehane told insuranceNEWS.com.au he’s enthusiastic about working in the Australian market again.

“The environment in Zurich is supportive of people who want to make a difference,” he said. “I’ve been offered great opportunities and my experiences have been so positive.

“I’m looking forward to getting into the market and understanding and working with our brokers.”