QBE Insurance Group has appointed Jonathan Groves as chief executive officer, Australia Pacific, effective 1 November 2026, pending regulatory approval, the insurer said in an exchange release on Tuesday.
Groves is currently chief executive officer and managing director of QBE Pacific. In the new role, he will join the group executive committee and report to group chief executive officer Andrew Horton.
He has more than 30 years’ insurance experience across business leadership, underwriting, risk and regulation, and has spent 13 of them at QBE. His senior roles at the group include chief risk officer, Australia Pacific, and chief risk officer of Equator Re. In August 2024, QBE named him to lead its New Zealand and Pacific business.
“Jonathan brings deep knowledge of QBE, our Australia Pacific business and the customers and partners we serve,” Horton said. “Australia Pacific is a strong business with a clear strategy and significant opportunities ahead.”
The appointment follows QBE’s announcement in July that Sue Houghton, chief executive officer, Australia Pacific, intends to retire at the end of 2026. In August, QBE said managing director of business Elliot Hill would leave at the end of that month, and QBE named Lorelle Hillman acting managing director of business.
In the first half of 2026, Australia Pacific gross written premiums fell 1%. Over the same period the division posted a combined operating ratio of 88.2%, the strongest underwriting result of QBE’s divisions.
