Commercial insurer HDI Global will start offering cyber cover in Australia as it looks to expand in the market.

It says Natalie Miladinski will be responsible for establishing and growing the new business as cyber underwriting manager for Asia-Pacific. She started in the role yesterday.

Ms Miladinski, based in Sydney, was most recently Chubb cyber and technology practice leader for NSW, ACT and Queensland, according to her LinkedIn. She joined the insurer in 2015 as a graduate underwriter and later took up roles including senior underwriter for cyber and technology.

“With her expertise in navigating the complexities of cyber risk, Natalie will tailor solutions and strategic insights that will strengthen our HDI product offering,” Asia-Pacific head and MD for Australia Stefan Feldmann said. “Her commitment to understanding the unique challenges of our clients aligns with our mission to deliver exceptional service and protection and we’re delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Alex Tarantino, HDI Global Singapore MD from July 1, says the appointment “demonstrates our commitment to evolving with the needs of our clients” as cyber threats continue to evolve in complexity and scale.

HDI Global, part of the German Talanx Group, achieved strong results last year in Australia. The combined HDI Global and specialty division business recorded more than $1 billion in gross premium from its Australian portfolios.

“In 2023, we again saw strong growth in our Australian commercial business thanks to our close relationships with the market,” Mr Feldmann said in a newsletter last month. “We launched our motor fleet product and achieved twice our initial expectations.”

He says the accident and health line continues to grow, and the business is providing expertise across lines including property, engineering, marine and liability to brokers with mid-market clients, which now make up more than one-third of its book.

“As a long-term, reliable partner offering a consistent and stable market, we’ve evolved and are continuously expanding our offering in Australia and the region in the corporate and now growing mid-market segment across all lines,” Mr Feldmann said.

HDI is upbeat on the outlook for this year.

“In specialty lines, we have several exciting initiatives to further grow our single-risk offering, which will be rolled out during 2024,” MD Australia Mark Fleiser said. “Furthermore, our delegated authority portfolio is growing, and we continue to selectively explore new opportunities.”