Sue Houghton has been appointed as QBE Insurance Group’s new chief executive for the Australia Pacific region.
Houghton, currently managing director of insurance at Westpac, will begin the new role at the Sydney-based QBE in August.
Richard Pryce, interim group CEO at QBE, said he was delighted to welcome Houghton to the insurer.
“She is a highly regarded insurance leader who is known for her sound judgement, resilience and adaptability as well as for cultivating talent, fostering diverse and inclusive teams and driving performance,” Pryce said.
Houghton has previously held numerous executive roles, including at companies like IAG, Wesfarmers Insurance and Arthur J Gallagher.
“I am very excited to be joining QBE and look forward to working with the AUSPAC team and broader group executive to help drive a more customer-centred, simpler and stronger business in the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific region,” Houghton said about her new role.
Houghton’s appointment to lead the Australia Pacific region of QBE comes as the firm searches for a new chief executive to replace Pat Regan, who departed the company last year following a complaint from a female employee and an “external investigation” concerning “workplace communications”.
Houghton replaces Vivek Bhatia as chief executive of QBE Australia Pacific region, who announced he was leaving the company last year to run share market service Link. Frank Costigan has filled the role in the interim period as the company searched for a permanent replacement.