The Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC) has appointed Jason Flanagan as Chief Claims and Customer Officer as it prepares to expand its responsibilities to cover cyclone risks as well as terrorism.

ARPC CEO Christopher Wallace says Mr Flanagan has direct experience with natural disaster claims management in northern Australia as a result of a previous role as Head of General Insurance Claims at Westpac.

“Jason was on the ground during the Townsville floods in 2019, where he gained firsthand experience about how such events impact local communities and the important role that general insurance plays in the community,” Dr Wallace said today.

Mr Flanagan has external and internal auditing experience within financial services, having worked as an auditor with KPMG and in internal audit roles with Bankers Trust early in his career, and was Head of Contact Centres and Head of Customer Relations at BT Financial Group.

The chief claims and customer officer role will encompass both the terrorism reinsurance operations as well as the proposed cyclone pool that is intended to start from July 1.

Mr Flanagan is also leading ARPC’s project for scheme implementation of the proposed cyclone pool, after starting work with the organisation in November, under a non-ongoing contract.

His appointment to the new role took effect on Monday.