The QBE Group board has appointed Penny James Independent Non-Executive Director, effective from January. 

UK-based Ms James was formerly Direct Line CEO, Prudential CRO, and CFO at Omega Insurance and Zurich UK General Insurance.  

She is FTSE Women Leaders Review Co-Chair and a Hargreaves Lansdown Director and was recently FCA Practitioner Panel Chair and on the Association of British Insurers board. 

“Penny is an exceptional leader in the finance sector with a track record in transforming business and performance,” QBE Chairman Mike Wilkins said. 

OBE says she has deep experience in technology transformation, capital structuring and risk management, with leadership roles spanning general insurance, life assurance, wealth and asset management across the US, Asia and Europe. 

Ms James joins fellow QBE Directors Yasmin Allen, Tan Le, Kathryn Lisson, Brian Pomeroy, Jann Skinner, Rolf Tolle, Steve Ferguson and Peter Wilson. 

Mr Ferguson joined the QBE board last month. He spent almost three decades at Ernst and Young and has held Director roles at Bank Australia, GenRe Australia and Parkinson’s Australia. 

Mr Wilson joined the QBE board in September. He was Axis Insurance CEO from 2013 to 2022 and prior to that was US Insurance President. He held senior roles at CNA Insurance for more than 20 years and served as AIG Executive VP. 

QBE CEO Andrew Horton has previously said women in leadership is a focus and in May last year, QBE was the first insurer to promise to maintain a balance of 40% women and 40% men in executive leadership by 2030. 

Many Australian companies, led by Industry Super Fund HESTA, have committed to the 40:40 Vision initiative.