Allianz appoints Head of Motor Claims and 3 new Claims Managers

Authored by Allianz

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, effective 5 July. Another external hire is Anthony Doyle from Crawford & Company, who was appointed technical claims manager for property in June. The other appointments are internal promotions: Laura Bottomley has become technical claims manager for injury in the major loss team and Sharon Carter has become supply chain manager in charge of property and legal suppliers.

A qualified solicitor, Ian 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, Ian joined Co-op Insurance in 2016 as head of injury and third-party claims and then became head of claims.

At Allianz, Ian will be reporting to Lee Watts, head of technical claims, who 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.”

Ian 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.”

Anthony Doyle joined Allianz as technical claims manager for property on 1 June. 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, Anthony will assist the team in providing technical expertise and be a key advocate for the major loss team.

In the major loss team, Laura Bottomley was promoted to technical claims manager for injury, also on 1 June. Laura 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, Laura handled personal injury claims at a solicitors firm, NFU Mutual and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB).

In the claims supply and experts area, Sharon Carter has been promoted to supply chain manager, looking after Allianz’s relationships with supplier partners in the property and legal areas. Sharon 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, Sharon will focus on strong supplier collaboration to deliver the best customer outcomes.