Rick Jackson, the IAG executive who fought the group’s battle against smash repairers over new procedures for repairs, resigned and left the company last week.

Mr Jackson was Head of Personal Insurance at IAG for six years. He was shifted in the February reshuffle to the new position of Head of Asset Management, Reinsurance and Group Strategy.

He was often tipped as the logical successor to IAG CEO Michael Hawker, and the move sideways was explained by IAG as something he had asked for. However, it was more widely interpreted as a reaction to the long-running and high profile battle with NSW smash repairers over IAG’s internet-based quoting system.

The smash repairers have been agitating for some years over the preferred repairers scheme, and they used this issue to bring matters to a head. Mr Jackson became the “face” of IAG as it fought to get across the major point that costs have to be controlled.

It eventually led to mass defections of customers from subsidiary NRMA Insurance.

IAG’s Head of Reinsurance, Jan van der Schalk, will replace Mr Jackson. The group strategy responsibilities will be taken up by Christine McLoughlin, who joined IAG last year as Group Executive in the Office of the CEO.