Meet QBE's executive leadership team

Chief Executive Officer, QBE Australia Pacific

Sue Houghton brings more than two decades of experience in the Financial Services sector to her role leading QBE Australia Pacific.

An accomplished senior executive with a career spanning operations, finance and strategy, Sue is known for her sound judgment, deep industry knowledge and passion for purpose-driven leadership. Her successful track record driving positive change, championing customer-centred thinking, and cultivating diverse and high performing teams has earned her a reputation as one of the industry’s most highly regarded leaders.

Before joining QBE, Sue was Managing Director of Insurance for The Westpac Group. She has also held senior leadership and management roles at organisations including Wesfarmers Insurance, Insurance Group Australia and Arthur J Gallagher.

Sue is a member of the Champions of Change Coalition and is a Director and immediate past President of the Insurance Council of Australia.

Chief Financial Officer

Chris brings extensive outside-in industry and investor perspectives to QBE and is passionate about building on the Brilliant Basics programme to deliver attractive and sustainable returns.

Prior to joining QBE in 2020, Chris gained more than 20 years of experience in the international insurance and banking industries. From 2016, he was Group Investor Relations Director at Aviva plc, one of the leading international insurers based in the UK. Before that, he spent 15 years as an equity analyst where he led highly ranked teams covering the insurance sector with Macquarie Bank and Credit Suisse in Australia, Asia and Europe. Chris qualified as a chartered accountant and began his finance career at KPMG.

CEO and Managing Director, New Zealand & Pacific

Jonathan has over 30 years of experience in the international insurance and reinsurance markets, having worked in the UK and London markets, Bermuda, Australia and more recently New Zealand.

Jonathan has held a variety of underwriting, broking and consulting positions and joined QBE in 2013 as Chief Risk Officer of Equator Re. Whilst at QBE, he has subsequently held the roles of Group Head of Risk and Chief Risk Officer for Australia and New Zealand before being appointed CEO and Managing Director of the New Zealand Pacific business.

Jonathan has previously worked for Marsh and Aon both in a management capacity and providing risk related consulting services as well as in AIG’s complex client group. Jonathan is passionate about helping solve customer challenges and is a Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management.

Managing Director, Consumer

Jo Hatcher is an experienced insurance leader with more than 20 years in the industry, bringing deep expertise in customer strategy, digital distribution and operational leadership.

Since joining QBE in 2019, Jo has played a key role in shaping QBE’s customer-led approach, holding several senior leadership roles across the Consumer portfolio, including General Manager, SME & Digital Innovation.

Prior to QBE, Jo held senior roles at IAG, Suncorp and AAMI, where she built a strong track record in Personal Lines insurance.

Jo is passionate about building future-focused, customer-led solutions that drive sustainable growth and brings a strong focus on innovation, performance, and improving the experience for customers.

Managing Director, Business

Elliot brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to QBE from an insurance industry career spanning more than 16 years. His experience includes leadership roles across portfolio management, channel pricing, legal, sales and distribution.

Elliot is known for his deep industry relationships, excellence in leadership and people management skills. He brings a passion for inspiring others and developing strong performers.

Before joining QBE’s Australia Pacific team in 2019, Elliot spent five years at AIG where he held a number of senior and executive roles including CEO of its New Zealand business. Prior, Elliot spent more than eight years in leadership roles at RSA Insurance Group, including CEO of its Singapore business and General Counsel for its Emerging Markets division based in London.

Elliot holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Manchester and a CPE and LPC from the College of Law.

Chief Enterprise Operations Officer

Declan is a passionate advocate of QBE’s purpose to enable a more resilient future. Declan has 35 years of Financial Services experience gained in Life Insurance, Superannuation and General Insurance, across a range of geographies.

At QBE Declan has worked across several roles, in Operations, as Group Chief Actuary, Chief Underwriting Officer AUSPAC, and from 2019-2024 as CEO and MD, NZ & Pacific.

Chief Underwriting & Transformation Officer

Pat Priest is a seasoned financial services executive with over 20 years of global leadership experience across insurance and reinsurance sectors.

Pat joined QBE in 2020 and has held several key leadership roles including Deputy CFO AUSPAC and General Manager, Commercial Insurance. Prior to QBE she held senior roles at NobleOak Life, Munich Re, and Zurich.

Known for her strong commercial acumen and deep financial expertise, Pat has successfully led large-scale teams, driven strategic transformation, and delivered sustainable growth across diverse markets.

She holds CPA designations in both Australia and Canada, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is fluent in Spanish.

Chief Risk Officer

Ed has been with QBE since 2015 and has held a number of roles within the organisation, principally at Group.

Commencing with QBE initially as corporate counsel, specialising in complex international insurance M&A and other industry-relevant transactions, Ed subsequently became Head of M&A legal and acted as the Group's Chief Regulatory Officer before becoming Chief of Staff to the Group CEO. In this role, Ed helped to support the implementation of the Group’s strategic priorities. Following this, Ed was appointed the Group Chief Compliance Officer where he led multidisciplinary compliance and conduct related teams. 

Prior to QBE, Ed held positions as a lawyer with leading Australian law firm, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, as well as the international firm, Bird & Bird in London.

Chief Information Officer

Caroline has more than 25 years technology experience supporting organisations in achieving their digital, core business and data strategies through the effective use of technology.

Caroline joined QBE in 2023 and has worked across industry sectors including insurance, financial services, telecommunications and aviation loyalty. She has previously held executive leadership roles at Velocity Frequent Flyer and Wesfarmers Insurance. In her previous role as Group Executive for Digital and Technology at icare, Caroline led the creation and execution of a technology strategy focussed on digital capabilities for icare insurance schemes.

With a passion for technology and problem solving, Caroline is equally passionate about building high performing, impactful and engaged teams. Caroline holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Chief Claims Officer

Julie has over 25 years’ experience in the insurance, online retail and telecommunications industries across Australia and Europe, with an extensive track record of developing and implementing innovative customer experience, customer service, digital transformation, and segment growth strategies.

Recognised as an empowering and inclusive leader, Julie is passionate about building high performing teams who exceed customer expectations, whilst developing sustainable growth strategies and strong business performance within QBE.

Having joined QBE in 2019 from icare, Julie has previously held roles at Grays eCommerce Group, Vodafone Group and EY (Ernst & Young).

Chief People Officer

Shiona joined QBE in January 2020, bringing 20 years of broad industry experience in human resources, organisational transformation, change management and people strategy.

Shiona’s industry experience spans consumer goods, construction, aviation and agriculture, having previously worked for companies including PepsiCo, Foster’s Group, Boral and Ansett Airlines.

Shiona is passionate about organisations which place their employees at the heart of delivering positive customer experiences. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland, a Master of Commerce with Honours from the University of Melbourne and more recently completed the Advanced Human Resources Executive Program at the Michigan Ross School of Business.