Allianz UK has made significant changes to its senior leadership, appointing Hanna Kam as Chief Risk Officer and promoting Jason Howes to Chief Transformation Officer. These moves are part of Allianz’s strategic efforts to strengthen its position and enhance consumer and market awareness in the UK.
Hanna Kam will assume her role as Chief Risk Officer on June 1, pending regulatory approval, and will join the Allianz UK Executive Committee. Kam brings over 25 years of global experience in the insurance industry and is recognised as a senior leader in risk management. Her most recent position was as Group Chief Risk Officer at Hiscox, where she led enterprise risk management and compliance globally. She is also a qualified actuary and has held senior roles at EY and Zurich, Australia.
John Berry, the current Chief Risk Officer for Allianz UK, will step down after a decade of service in various senior leadership roles, including over four years as Chief Risk Officer. Berry joined Allianz in 2015 after a career at WTW and was appointed Chief Underwriting Officer for personal lines in 2017, becoming Chief Risk Officer in January 2020. He will pursue new opportunities within the Allianz Group.
Colm Holmes, CEO of Allianz Holdings, commented: “John has played a key role in the history of Allianz UK, including as Chief Underwriting Officer of personal lines, alongside setting up the joint venture with LV= and then navigating COVID and more recent market challenges as Chief Risk Officer. He helped bring the different parts of our business together to create one Allianz. I’d like to thank John for his huge contribution.”
John Berry added: “We have built a great platform for future success and I am very proud of all of Allianz’s achievements. It’s been a fantastic privilege to work with Colm and the Executive Committee over the years, and I wish the team the very best for the future.”
Allianz has also announced the creation of the new role of Chief Transformation Officer, to be taken up by Jason Howes on June 1. Howes brings nearly 27 years of industry experience to the role, including more than two decades with Allianz. His previous role was Director of Business Transformation at Allianz. In his new position, Howes will oversee all large-scale change projects and initiatives in the Allianz UK business.
Colm Holmes added: “This is a pivotal and exciting time for us as we align our businesses to deliver the combined strength of one Allianz and work towards becoming the number one general insurer in the UK. These two senior leaders take on vitally important roles and will help drive our strategic momentum for growth.
I’m delighted Hanna is joining us; she brings a wealth of global insurance industry experience and a compelling blend of board, risk, and regulatory exposure. She has a track record of strong leadership and excels at delivering change and results in complex environments. Her insights will be invaluable in supporting the overall growth strategy for the business.
And as we move our business forward, it is imperative that we continue to manage major change projects effectively, so we have created a new role of Chief Transformation Officer, which I am delighted to welcome Jason into. He’s achieved a huge amount at Allianz, and I’m sure he will continue to do so.”
