Allianz bolsters motor claims leadership with Co-op, Crawford hires

Allianz Insurance has recruited a new head of motor claims and appointed three claims managers for property, injury and supply chain.

Ian Kershaw, who was head of claims at Co-op Insurance, is joining Allianz as head of motor claims. Another external hire is Anthony Doyle from Crawford & Company, who was appointed technical claims manager for property in June. Other appointments include Laura Bottomley, who has become technical claims manager for injury in the major loss team, and Sharon Carter as supply chain manager in charge of property and legal suppliers.

Kershaw spent 15 years with Parabis Group, managing its defendant outsource services and heading its claimant law firm division. After leading transformation at Parabis as a partner and operations director, he joined Co-op Insurance in 2016 as head of injury and third-party claims and then became head of claims.

Doyle joined Allianz as technical claims manager for property on June 1. He previously worked for 10 years at loss adjuster Crawford and Company in various roles, including business transformation and head of field. He has a wealth of operational and change management experience, having worked within the insurance claims industry for 34 years in total, including for major insurers like Aviva, Direct Line and Ageas. Reporting to Allianz’s head of property claims Rebecca Rogers, Doyle will assist the team in providing technical expertise and be a key advocate for the major loss team.

In the major loss team, Bottomley has been promoted to technical claims manager for injury. She has been with Allianz for 11 years, working as a claims specialist within the major loss team, handling claims of the utmost severity. She has more recently taken a more active role in implementing new strategies within the team. Prior to joining Allianz, she handled personal injury claims at a solicitors firm, NFU Mutual and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).

In the claims supply and experts area, Carter has been promoted to supply chain manager, looking after Allianz’s relationships with supplier partners in the property and legal areas. She has been with Allianz 10 years, developing her expertise in the supply and experts area for the last five. Reporting to head of supplier services Colin Davies, Carter will focus on strong supplier collaboration to deliver the best customer outcomes.

Lee Watts, head of technical claims, commented: “Ian is a great addition to the team. His extensive experience in motor claims and his leadership skills will be a good fit at this crucial time. The whiplash portal has just been launched, which will have an impact right across the industry. At the same time, at Allianz, we continue rolling out technology to enhance claims service, in particular in motor. Our Claims Hub, for instance, is about to unveil another upgrade.”

Kershaw added: “I am delighted to be joining Allianz Insurance at this exciting time, as changing regulations and car technology mean motor claims are evolving rapidly. With customer and broker expectations continuing to grow, Allianz is an organisation that is continually investing in its colleagues and technology to provide a market-leading customer journey.”

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