IAG Ethics Committee member and former group executive Sam Mostyn has been recognised in this year’s Australia Day Honours.

Ms Mostyn was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) “for distinguished service to business and sustainability, and to the community through seminal contributions to a range of organisations, and to women”.

“I am completely overwhelmed by the generous reaction to the honour I received yesterday,” Ms Mostyn posted on Twitter today. “It’s a great privilege to be supported for these awards and I am grateful to those who did that.”

Ms Mostyn joined IAG in 2002 as Group Executive, Culture and Reputation, continuing in the position until 2008. Her involvement with the company is now through the ethics committee, which provides an external perspective.

Current corporate roles include chairing Citibank Australia while she was also a non-executive director at insurer Cover-More from 2013 to 2017.

Ms Mostyn, who has held key positions with climate and sustainability organisations and with groups supporting women and diversity, called for Australia Day nominations to fully reflect the nation.

“So much of the extraordinary community-building work done by so many goes unacknowledged publicly, and as a result we miss celebrating the full diversity of our community,” she said today.

In the sporting and cultural arenas, Ms Mostyn has been an Australian Football League commissioner and a board member for the Australia Council for the Arts.

Other past and present insurance industry participants recognised this year include Charles Clark, CGU director from 1999 to 2001, who was awarded an AO for distinguished service to the wine industry, finance and business, the arts, and charitable initiatives.

RGA Reinsurance Australasia Chairman and Director Ian Pollard was recognised with a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to business, to ethical standards and to the community.

Mr Pollard is a past director of GIO Australia and an Actuaries Institute fellow.

AM recipients included William D’Apice, Chairman of Catholic Church Insurance from 2000 to 2009 and Kerry Roxburgh, non-executive director at Medical Indemnity Protection Society (MIPS) Insurance from 2005 to 2020 and a former advisory board member with Aon Risk Solutions.

Patricia White, was recognised for significant service to engineering, and to the people and Parliament of South Australia. Ms White chaired EngInsure Insurance and Risk Services from 2016 to 2018 and was Deputy Chairman of the Motor Accident Commission.

Robert Sloane, who owned Barossa Insurance from 1985 to 1998, received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to local government and to the Barossa Valley community.