Tony Libke has been appointed CEO at the Association of Insurance Building and Engineering Consultants, a new professional body created to raise the quality of expert reports used in claims handling.

Mr Libke was CEO at the Australasian Institute of Chartered Loss Adjusters from its formation in 1997 until his son Adrian succeeded him last year.  

He has been involved in establishing organisations covering insurance, retail and agricultural industries, and plans to help guide the formative stage of the consultants’ association, which he says will be important in improving industry standards.

“I see the increasingly important role building and engineering consultants play in working alongside loss adjusters, insurers and insureds to deliver equitable outcomes for all involved in the claims process,” Mr Libke said.

The association’s founding directors, Deniz Bekir and Andrew Morse, told insuranceNEWS.com.au earlier this month the group was established in response to apparent flaws in the training and practices of experts examining proximate causes of loss. It will provide tailored professional development for members to help improve accuracy.

“Someone needs to put their hand up and start to form betterment. It’s been identified that these expert reports have skewed the outcomes of the insured with respect to their quality and that improvement needs to be made,” Mr Bekir said.

A General Insurance Code Governance Committee study released last July found that when expert tradespeople were appointed to make reports, almost half offered a claim decision recommendation, yet there was often insufficient evidence to justify it. 

“While an expert may be technically proficient in a certain field, making a recommendation to accept or deny an insurance claim goes beyond that,” the committee said.

The Association of Insurance Building and Engineering Consultants has made submissions on mooted General Insurance Code of Practice changes, and to the federal government’s 2022 flood inquiry.