Headquarters:
Heritage Lanes, 80 Ann Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000
Year founded:
1833
Number of employees:
600+
Phone:
13 18 13
Email:
claims@vero.com.au
Website:
vero.com.au
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/vero
“Our gold rating in BDM support reflects what brokers tell us matters most: having the right people on the ground, accessible and empowered to act. It’s a key part of what underpins our overall performance and the strength of our broker partnerships”
Anthony Pagano, Vero
Michael Miller
Chief Executive, Commercial and Personal Injury
Anthony Pagano
Head of Distribution
Kira Pellicano
Head of Commercial Claims
Leadership
Michael Miller is chief executive of Suncorp’s commercial and personal injury insurance business. He is responsible for the end-to-end management of Suncorp’s commercial insurance business, including intermediated insurance through the Vero brand and personal injury insurance encompassing GIO workers’ compensation and compulsory third party (CTP) through brands including AAMI, GIO and Suncorp. Miller joined Suncorp in 2011 and has held a range of senior leadership roles, including intermediated distribution and home, motor, personal injury and commercial claims. He was also CFO for Insurance and Commercial Insurance and was responsible for Suncorp’s reinsurance program.
Chief Executive, Commercial and Personal Injury
Michael Miller
Anthony Pagano is head of distribution with more than 30 years of experience in the intermediated commercial insurance market. He has worked exclusively with brokers to deliver tailored risk and insurance solutions for Australian businesses. Known for building high-performing teams and strong distributor relationships, Pagano leads national distribution and market management across multiple channels. His focus spans strategic broker planning, stakeholder engagement and proposition development across international and commercial brokers, AR networks and motor dealers. He works closely with underwriting, claims, product, portfolio, risk and technology teams to ensure alignment between customer and business strategies.
Head of Distribution
Anthony Pagano
Kira Pellicano is the head of commercial claims and is an experienced insurance professional with over 20 years with Vero and the broader Suncorp group of companies. She is responsible for leading a large claims business, including property, liability, financial lines and engineering across Australia, including a dedicated supply chain. She is passionate about delivering a best-in-class experience to broker partners and their clients, being there in the moments that matter.
Head of Commercial Claims
Kira Pellicano
David Hoffman
Executive General Manager, Commercial
David Hoffmann is the executive general manager, commercial for Vero Insurance, responsible for tailored lines underwriting across property, liability, motor fleet, professional and financial lines, engineering and surety. He leads national teams delivering specialist solutions for broker partners and their clients. Appointed to his current role in September 2023, Hoffmann has spent nearly four decades with Suncorp and its predecessor organisations, primarily within corporate underwriting and distribution. He previously served as head of underwriting and is known for his deep expertise in complex property underwriting for large Australian organisations. Hoffmann is a fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance.
Executive General Manager, Commercial
David Hoffman
Laura Broughton
Head of Platform Business
Laura Broughton was appointed head of platforms in August 2024. She is a leader renowned for her strategic vision within the SME insurance sector. With an accomplished background spanning broker network management, mid-market underwriting, SME portfolio leadership, and digital innovation across both the UK and Australia, she offers a unique breadth of expertise to the executive team. Driven by a passion for technology-enabled business growth and operational excellence with the customer at the heart, Broughton continues to shape and elevate the future of connected insurance propositions.
Head of Platform Business
Laura Broughton
In the business of backing business
Vero has earned its reputation as one of Australia’s leading commercial insurers through a consistent strategy of:
building deep broker partnerships
investing in specialist claims capability
empowering local teams to make decisions
The firm’s standing is not the result of scale alone; it reflects a culture of accountability, innovation and a relentless focus on what brokers and their clients need most.
At the heart of Vero’s success is a broker-led distribution strategy anchored in lasting relationships. Brokers consistently highlight the accessibility and expertise of Vero’s people, from its business development manager (BDM) network to direct access to underwriters and claims specialists. This proximity to the market means brokers receive proactive support when navigating complex or non-standard risks, with fewer hand-offs and faster answers. The firm combines the stability and resources of a large insurer with the mindset of a challenger: nimble, locally empowered and continuously improving.
If there is one area that defines Vero’s leadership, it is claims excellence. Brokers widely regard claims as the defining test of an insurer’s true value, and Vero consistently delivers. The firm’s investment in dedicated case managers for complex claims, its Simple Claims process for certain types of claims^, and scalable catastrophe response capability through the Suncorp Disaster Management Centre assist Vero to support brokers and businesses when it matters most.
Vero’s performance is shaped by leadership that translates strategy into everyday service. Vero chief executive commercial and personal injury insurance Michael Miller credits the Vero team’s deep industry experience and a shared commitment to broker advocacy, underwriting excellence and measurable customer outcomes. Miller’s guiding principle, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” reflects the collaborative culture that runs through Vero’s underwriting, distribution and claims teams.
This leadership is reinforced across key functions and comprises David Hoffmann, executive general manager, tailored lines, who brings many years of Australian underwriting excellence; Anthony Pagano, head of distribution, who highlights the importance of proximity and responsiveness in broker relationships, noting that Vero’s gold rating in BDM support* reflects what brokers value most. It comes down to having the right people on the ground who are accessible and empowered to act, which underpins overall performance and the strength of broker partnerships. Alongside this, Laura Broughton, head of platform business, and Kira Pellicano, head of commercial claims, play important roles in strengthening digital engagement and delivering consistent claims outcomes, further embedding Vero’s customer-first approach across the business.
A deliberate structural shift to a separate commercial operating model has sharpened focus, strengthened specialist capability and reinforced accountability across the business.
Kim Leeder
Head of Transformation
Jennifer Creaton
Executive Manager Risk
Leo Kearney
Head of Portfolio
Simon Williams
Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International
and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955
Kim Leeder is head of transformation for commercial and personal injury at Vero, accountable for shaping and delivering large-scale transformation in a complex, regulated environment. She leads a cross-functional team of around 200 people, responsible for change and transformation initiatives, alongside the management of several legacy technology assets. Leeder has deep expertise in enterprise transformation, with a strong track record of translating strategy into measurable outcomes. During her 12 years at Suncorp, she has held senior roles across banking and insurance. Previously, she spent 10 years leading large-scale transformation programs in banking in London and New York. She is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Business from QUT.
Head of Transformation
Kim Leeder
Jennifer Creaton is executive manager, commercial and personal injury risk, leading a team that delivers risk insight and oversees frameworks, governance, and regulatory compliance. With 13 years at Suncorp across consumer, commercial, and statutory portfolios, she is recognised for a practical, commercial approach that translates complex risk and compliance obligations into clear, value-driven outcomes. Creaton brings extensive insurance risk and compliance experience and is passionate about strengthening risk capability, enhancing control environments, proactively managing emerging and strategic risks, and enabling the business to create exceptional customer value.
Executive Manager Risk
Jennifer Creaton
Leo Kearney is the head of portfolio for commercial and personal injury at Vero, responsible for portfolio management across commercial tailored lines and workers’ compensation, alongside oversight of data and analytics, strategy, the executive office, and performance. He joined Suncorp in 2023 from Boston Consulting Group, where he worked as a strategy consultant supporting Suncorp and other major Australian organisations on strategy and transformation initiatives. Earlier in his career, Kearney was a Chartered Chemical Engineer, delivering large-scale industrial construction and commissioning projects across Australia. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales.
Head of Portfolio
Leo Kearney
Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.
Partner
Kimi Shah
Sarah M Stewart
Associate Vice President,
Leasing and Call Centre Operations
Karen Bannister, CM
Vice President, Marketing
Dave Longbottom
Chief Technology Officer
Alex Ventura
Head of Marketing
Damian Palovick
Senior Vice President of Underwriting
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Dr. Mary Lavoie
Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President
AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America
Mark Bernacki
Chief Underwriting Officer
Ryan Armijo
Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division
Bob Petrilli
President, Underwriting Division
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X,
Spokesperson, Vero
Disclaimer:
This article is sponsored by and insurance is issued by AAI Limited, ABN 48 005 297 807, trading as Vero Insurance (‘Vero’). Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before buying this insurance. Go to vero.com.au for a copy. Target market determination also available. Terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. See the PDS or Policy Wording for further details.
This advice has been prepared by Vero and has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.
*Vero was awarded a silver overall in the Insurance Business 2026 Brokers on Insurers Report, based on feedback from more than 300 brokers surveyed nationally. This overall rating is made up of multiple categories, with Vero receiving a Gold award for BDM support.
^The Vero Simple Claims process applies only to Vero Small to Medium Business claims up to $15000 (excludes Commercial Motor and Fleet Motor). Timeframes are based on the assumption that all supporting information and payment details are provided at the initial claim lodgement.
more than $1 million in funds
over $2.3 million in combined monetary and in-kind donations through an annual World Food Derby initiative
2,320 volunteer hours to numerous deserving organizations, making a significant community impact
Vero’s product strategy is insight-driven and forward-looking. Drawing on broker feedback, claims data and emerging market signals, the firm continuously evolves its product suite to meet real-world needs.
Innovations include enhanced directors and officers wording, enhanced coverage for battery electric vehicles in its motor fleet product, and a growing Vero Specialty Lines portfolio covering equipment breakdown, higher hazard property and liability, and combustible panelling exposures. A new design and engineering practitioners professional indemnity product also launched in May, which is a purpose-built solution for complex design and engineering risks aligned to evolving regulatory requirements and industry standards.
These releases reflect a rolling cadence of improvement with incremental enhancements alongside larger launches, supported by investment in technology to enable more efficiency, freeing up underwriters to add value for more complex risks, and faster turnaround times for new business.
Looking ahead, Vero’s ambitions are clear. The firm aims to expand its Vero Specialty Lines offering to 10 products by late FY28, deepen broker partnerships through enhanced training and insights, and further strengthen its claims and catastrophe response infrastructure.
For brokers and their clients, the promise is equally clear: a customer-centric partner that values long-term relationships, makes expertise accessible and consistently performs in the moments that matter.
Turnaround time – claims
Overall
Turnaround time – new business
Overall
