Group Board of Directors

Michael Wilkins

Michael (Mike) Wilkins (AO)

Independent Chair

BCom, MBA, FCA, FAICD

Mike became a non-executive director of QBE in 2016 and was appointed Chair in March 2020.

He is Chair of the Governance & Nomination Committee and a member of the People & Remuneration, Audit, and, Risk & Capital Committees. Mike has more than 30 years’ experience in financial services. He was the Managing Director and CEO of Insurance Australia Group Limited until November 2015 and previously served as Managing Director and CEO of Promina Group Limited and Managing Director of Tyndall Australia Limited. He is currently Chair of Medibank Private Limited and a non-executive director of Scentre Group Limited. He previously served as a non-executive director of AMP Limited, Alinta Limited, Maple-Brown Abbott Limited, The Geneva Association and the Australian Business and Community Network. Mike was the founding member of the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience & Safer Communities from 2013 until his retirement in 2015.

Andrew Horton

Andrew Horton

Group Chief Executive Officer

BA Natural Sciences, ACA

Andrew joined QBE as Group Chief Executive Officer in September 2021. He was previously the CEO, and before that the Finance Director, of Beazley Group, a specialist insurer based in the United Kingdom with operations in Europe, the United States and Asia. Prior to this, he held various senior finance roles in ING, NatWest and Lloyds Bank. Andrew has more than 30 years’ experience across insurance and banking, and has extensive experience across international markets.

Yasmin Allen portrait

Yasmin Allen (AM)

Independent Director

BCom, FAICD

Yasmin became a non-executive director of QBE in July 2022. She is a member of the Audit and People & Remuneration Committees. Yasmin has more than 20 years’ experience as a company director and Chair serving companies across a wide range of sectors, including natural resources and financial services. She is currently a non-executive director of Cochlear Limited, Santos Limited and ASX Limited. She chairs Timely, formally known as Tic Toc Online, a digital home loan platform company, the Harrison Riedel Foundation, a charity supporting young mental health, and the Digital Skills Organisation. Yasmin is a member of the Federal Government Takeovers Panel and has been acting President since 2019 and is a member of Chief Executive Women. She has served as a non-executive director for a number of companies including Insurance Australia Group Limited and was the former Chair of Macquarie Group’s Global Infrastructure Funds. She was previously a senior investment banking executive specialising in equity markets in Australia and the United Kingdom.

 
Steve Ferguson portrait

Steve Ferguson

Independent Director

BComm, CA, AICD

Steve became a non‑executive director of QBE in November 2023. He is a member of the Audit and Risk & Capital Committees. Steve is an accomplished financial services executive and business leader with over 30 years' experience including serving as a Financial Services Leadership partner at Ernst & Young (EY) for more than 15 years, where he was also the signing Audit Partner for numerous top 50 ASX Listed companies. More recently, Steve has held Board level positions across the commercial, government and not‑for‑profit sectors for the past six years. Steve is currently serving as the Chair and Non Executive Director for Bank Australia Limited and Non-Executive Director for GenRe Australia Limited, GenRe Life Australia Limited, BackTrack Youth Works Limited and for Parkinson’s Australia Limited. He is also an external member of the UNSW Sydney Audit Committee and Risk Committee.

portrait of penny

Penny James

Independent Director

BSc (Hons), ACA

Penny became a non-executive director of QBE in January 2024. She is a member of the Risk & Capital and People & Remuneration Committees. Penny has over 30 years' experience in the financial services industry having held leadership roles in general insurance, life assurance, wealth management and asset management businesses. Her previous positions included Chief Executive Officer of Direct Line Insurance Group plc (having previously held the role of Chief Financial Officer), the Group Chief Risk Officer of Prudential plc and the Group Chief Financial Officer of Omega Insurance Holdings plc. Penny has been a Board Member of the Association of British Insurers and the Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority Practitioner Panel. She is currently Senior Independent Director of Hargreaves Lansdown plc and co-chair of the FTSE Women Leaders Review. Penny is also a non-executive director of Mitie Group plc.

Tan Le

Tan Le

Independent Director

BCom (Hons), LLB (Hons)

Tan became a non-executive director of QBE in September 2020. She is Chair of the People & Remuneration Committee and a member of the Governance & Nomination Committee. Tan is the founder and CEO of EMOTIV, a neuroinformatics company advancing understanding of the human brain. She was previously co-founder and President of SASme, a wireless technology company. Tan has been a contributor at the World Economic Forum (WEF) and previously served on the WEF Global Future Council and on the WEF Board of Stewards on Shaping the Future of Information & Entertainment.

Kathryn Lisson

Kathryn (Kathy) Lisson

Independent Director

B.Sc (Hons)

Kathy became a non-executive director of QBE in 2016. She is Deputy Chair of the People & Remuneration Committee and a member of the Risk & Capital Committee. Kathy has over 30 years’ experience across insurance and banking in technology, operations and management. She was previously Chief Operating Officer for two insurance companies (QBE Europe (a QBE regulated entity) and Brit Insurance) and Operational Transformation Director at Barclays Bank, which included delivering global solutions in digital technology, cyber security and IT risk. Kathy also held executive positions at Bank of Montreal, including as President of its Mortgage Corporation and EVP Technology Strategy and Delivery. Kathy was a senior partner at Ernst & Young and Price Waterhouse in Canada, leading their insurance and banking advisory practices. Kathy has also held several other non-executive director roles in the United Kingdom and in Canada.

Sir Brian Pomeroy

Sir Brian Pomeroy

Independent Director

MA, FCA

Sir Brian became a non-executive director of QBE in 2014. He is Deputy Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Risk & Capital Committee. He has extensive insurance industry experience, including in his previous role as a Nominated Member of the Council of Lloyd’s and as Chair of the Independent Commission on Equitable Life Payments. He was formerly a non-executive member of the board of the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom and a non-executive director on QBE’s European regulated boards. Sir Brian also chaired the United Kingdom Treasury’s Financial Inclusion Taskforce, the Payments Council and the Gambling Commission. He was the Senior Partner of Deloitte Consulting in the United Kingdom until 1999.

Jann Skinner

Jann Skinner

Independent Director

BCom, FCA, FAICD

Jann became a non‑executive director of QBE in October 2014. She is Chair of the Audit Committee, Deputy Chair of the Risk & Capital Committee and a member of the Governance & Nomination Committee. Jann has over 30 years’ professional experience in audit and accounting with a focus on financial services, particularly the insurance industry. She was an audit partner for 17 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers before retiring in 2004. Jann is a non‑executive director of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and Create Foundation Limited. Previously, Jann was a non‑executive director of HSBC Bank Australia Limited, Enstar Australia Group and the Tasmanian Public Finance Corporation. Jann was also a non‑executive director on QBE’s Australian regulated boards.

Rolf Tolle

Rolf Tolle

Independent Director

Dipl. Pol

Rolf became a non-executive director of QBE in 2016. He is Chair of the Risk & Capital Committee and a member of the People & Remuneration and Governance & Nomination Committees. He has significant experience in specialist insurance and reinsurance businesses, having held senior positions in a number of global companies. He was the first ever Franchise Performance Director at Lloyd’s, for which he was awarded the Silver Medal for Services at Lloyd’s, an honour bestowed on only a few individuals since its creation in 1917. Rolf is a director of Marco Insurance PCC Limited and British Reserve Insurance Company Limited and is also on the advisory board of Wrisk Ltd. Rolf was previously a director of Beazley plc and Beazley Furlonge Ltd.

 
Peter Wilson portrait

Peter Wilson

Independent Director

BEco

Peter became a non‑executive director of QBE in September 2023. He is a member of the Audit and Risk & Capital Committees. Peter is an accomplished insurance executive and business leader with over 40 years’ experience. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Axis Insurance from 2013 to 2022 and prior to that was President of United States Insurance. He was with CNA Insurance for more than 20 years, including as President and Chief Operating Officer for CNA Specialty. He also served as Executive Vice President at AIG, where he managed the commercial public D&O business in the United States.