Steering Insurance Leadership Through These Times
2026 has started with real momentum at Blenheim Partners! We’re already running 3x the number of retained engagements compared with this time last year. That’s an early bellwether the year ahead may not be a tepid repeat of 2025.
Across ASX-listed companies in 2025, there were 144 Chief Financial Officer appointments alone, Board and other executive changes were also substantial.
A good example is QBE appointing Chris Killourhy as Group CFO (effective 1 January 2026). It’s an internal promotion which signals Board preference for technical depth, and continuity.
You can see the same “operating under pressure” logic in tech leadership too. As nib’s long-time Group CIO, Brendan Mills, has departed.
On AI, the most bankable applications are the ones that industrialise governance. TAL’s CEO Fiona Macgregor has pointed to RegTech/AI enabling “100 per cent quality checking on our new customer calls, creating a feedback loop at scale for our people, which is great for training and coaching to continually improve our customers’ experience with us.”
We’re seeing the same pattern in executive hiring. Tools are multiplying, but selection hasn’t become mechanical. When conditions tighten, Boards don’t outsource judgement to algorithms, they rely on trusted partners.
Becoming your trusted partner in search is our aim here at Blenheim Partners. We’re known as problem-solvers 100% committed to classic search unfiltered by a menu of costly and unnecessary optional extras. We’ve been retained for 14 years to deliver critical executive hires and hold an enviable 100% completion rate on retained executive mandates. We are committed to deep research, sharp calibration, and clear judgement when it comes to meeting your strategic needs.
If it’s useful, I’d welcome a short catch-up to compare notes. Three questions I’m asking insurance leaders right now:
1. Where are you automating without human sign-off and where won’t you?
2. Which function is carrying the most operational weight this year (claims, underwriting, risk, cyber, technology/transformation)?
3. If you had to name the weakest link in your succession bench today, what is it?
You know what else I’m asking, how are you? I love working with insurance executives, yet acknowledge, you intersect with your clients when calamity has struck. We know it takes a toll on your teams, and salute your work.
If you’d like to connect, just hit reply happy to share what we’re seeing and get your read on the year ahead and always thank you for your continued interest in and engagement with Blenheim Partners.
Seph McKenna
Partner, Insurance, Property and Media