IAG has appointed former Clayton Utz chief executive partner and board member Robert Cutler as its Group General Counsel.

Mr Cutler was with Clayton Utz for 33 years, joining the law firm in Sydney in 1991 and becoming a partner in 1998. He has also been a director of the non-profit Clayton Utz Foundation and is a member of the Law Society of NSW. 

The Federal Government’s BoardLinks program, which connects women with opportunities, says he is an active supporter of diversity in the workplace and became a “BoardLinks champion” in 2015.

BoardLinks champions identify and encourage strong female candidates to consider government board positions.

Mr Cutler, who joins IAG from Thursday, is also a former member of the Business Council of Australia Economic Policy and Competitiveness Committee and Regulatory and Compliance Committee.

“I welcome the contribution Robert will make to our leadership team, and IAG,” CEO Nick Hawkins said. “In addition to his legal career, he has extensive governance experience as a member of various boards and has advised on regulatory and risk management matters for private and public organisations.”

The group general counsel role has been filled on an interim basis since December by Karen Ingram.

The insurer announced on December 6 that previous group general counsel and company secretary Peter Horton was leaving after his behaviour fell short of expectations set out in IAG’s employee code of ethics and conduct.

“This includes the importance of being inclusive and respectful, and we will hold people to account if they fail to meet these expectations,” the company said then, without providing further details.