Brought to you by:

Mansions team moves to SRS

SRS Insurance has hired three former key managers from Calliden’s Mansions of Australia underwriting agency to manage a new prestige home product.

Sue Hutchinson, the former National Manager of Mansions who was fired by Calliden in August in a dispute over strategy, will run the new venture, to be called Summit Insurance, from the SRS Sydney office. It’s the first venture by SRS into the personal lines market.

Ms Hutchinson ran Mansions for six years and went with it last year when it was acquired by Calliden from Australian Unity.

She told insuranceNEWS.com.au in August that she had ended up conflicted between her role as a Calliden employee and her professional relationship with Kiln, the lead Lloyd’s underwriter for Mansions.

SRS Underwriting Director Paul O’Leary says Ms Hutchinson joined the company about a month ago. Former Mansions claims manager Peter McKee and Mansions underwriter Karen Kearins have also joined SRS.

Mr O’Leary says Summit will offer “the stability and experience that Sue and her team gave Mansions of Australia”.

“It’s the first time SRS has offered a domestic product, and of course our binder for Summit is 100% Lloyd’s security,” he said. “Our coverage will be the most comprehensive available.”

It’s the second time this year that Brisbane-based SRS has bought an entire insurance team. In August it poached the four-person underwriting unit of Melbourne agency Professional Risk Underwriting.