QBE Insurance says Andrew Ziolkowski has returned to the business to take up the role of Chief Underwriting Officer for Australia Pacific.

Mr Ziolkowski started this week, joining from NSW state insurer icare where he has been Group Executive Prevention and Underwriting since December 2018. Before icare, he was IAG EGM Underwriting, according to his LinkedIn account.

He first joined QBE in 2003 as Manager Business Operations and was later elevated to National Manager Business Process in 2008 before leaving for Wesfarmers Insurance in 2010 where he started as Head of Product Services and later took on the position of Chief Underwriter.

“With more than 25 years of experience in insurance and financial services across a number of channels and product lines, we look forward to the valuable industry perspectives he will bring to our organisation,” QBE Australia Pacific CEO Sue Houghton said.

“[He] is recognised as a strong, collaborative leader with a history of building a culture of success through his passion for developing talent. We’re excited to see him demonstrate these skills at QBE.”

Mr Ziolkowski says QBE’s culture was a key factor behind his decision to return to the insurer.

“QBE has an enviable culture, and it is one of the things that attracted me to the organisation and this role,” he said.

“I’m passionate about collaboration and supporting teams so they feel empowered to perform at their best, and I’m looking forward to working with everyone to ensure the Chief Underwriting Office continues to be a great place to work, while delivering excellent outcomes for our customers and partners.”

Mr Ziolkowski takes over from Andy White, who has been interim Chief Underwriting Officer in the last several months.

“We’re grateful for [Mr White’s] hard work and collaboration during this time of transition and wish him the best as he returns to his ongoing role of [Chief Underwriting Officer] of Asia,” Ms Houghton said.