Allianz has appointed Phuong Ly to lead its newly created Commercial division, focusing on small to medium enterprises, mid-corp markets and specialist areas such as Underwriting Agencies and Hunter Premium Funding.

Sydney-based Mr Ly, who for the past year held the role of Chief Underwriting Officer at QBE, will take the new Allianz role of Chief GM, Commercial from October.

Allianz Australia introduced its new operating model focused on three key customer segments at the start of this year amid a number of changes, including the departure of Chief GM Broker & Agency David Hosking after 13 years at the insurer.

The new three-pronged Allianz structure comprises Consumer and Workers' Compensation divisions, alongside Commercial, which GM Broker Distribution Glen Drinnan had been acting manager of while the executive search took place.

Mr Ly brings almost two decades of experience in insurance in Australia, holding executive leadership roles at CGU as well as IAG, where he was EGM Business Distribution and EM Broker & Agency.

Local Allianz MD Richard Feledy says Mr Ly is the ideal choice to lead the strategic direction of the new Commercial venture.

“As well as having delivered outstanding commercial results, Phuong is known to be a strategic thinker and engaging leader,” Mr Feledy said.

“Having worked in insurance his whole career, including in underwriting and claims, Phuong clearly understands the customer perspective and frontline challenges. Most importantly, Phuong has a transformative mindset and focus on mentoring teams.”

Mr Ly says he is thrilled to be joining Allianz Australia at a time of “massive transformation” and he looks forward to building on strong relationships and offerings across partner channels.

“Allianz has navigated the industry’s ongoing regulatory shifts with agility and rapidly evolved to meet partners’ and subsequently customers’ needs,” Mr Ly said.

The Consumer division is led by Melbourne-based Michael Winter, who formerly led retail distribution, while Sydney-based Julie Mitchell, who has been at Allianz for more than 20 years, heads Workers’ Compensation.

ANZ Bank veteran Jodi Fullarton-Healey began as Allianz’s General Counsel and Chief GM Corporate Governance at the start of April, replacing Helen Silver who moved to a newly created role of Deputy MD.