Emergence Insurance has appointed former Chubb practice leader Trent Nihill to the newly created role of Head of Corporate Cyber as it expands its operations.

Mr Nihill, who began in the role yesterday, will be responsible for developing relationships with mid-market and large corporate clients, with the firm offering both primary cover and excess layers.

Previously, Mr Nihill was Chubb practice leader for the cyber and technology major accounts segment in Australia and New Zealand. He has also worked for CFC Underwriting in the UK, where he was with the international cyber team, reviewing risks focusing on the UK, Canadian and Australian markets.

Mr Nihill, who has more than 14 years’ experience in the industry, has also worked with Zurich and other insurers in Australia.

Emergence Founder and CEO Troy Filipcevic says the firm is expanding its team due to strong growth.

“We will all benefit from Trent’s global experience in cyber underwriting as we continue to take Emergence forward, and the timing is right for us to focus on the mid and large corporate client markets,” he said today.

“Trent’s experience also enhances our ability to provide brokers with insurance solutions for their clients.”

Businesses are raising their focus on cyber insurance as the number of incidents continues to increase, and high-profile breaches highlight the risks of inadequate protection.

Emergence earlier this month said it was among firms partnering with Western Sydney University on an initiative to help small businesses deal with cyber risks through training and incident response support.