Board director Melanie Willis has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), while loss adjuster Tony Morgan, insurance governance executive Leona Murphy, and regional broker Peter David Edgar have received Medals of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2026 Australia Day Honours.
Willis received an AM in the General Division for significant service to the finance, banking, and insurance sectors. She is a non-executive director at Challenger Limited and chairs its risk committee, and also chairs QBE Insurance Australia’s Australia Pacific business, having served as a non-executive director for the region since 2020.
Currently, she also serves as a non-executive director at PEXA Group and PayPal Australia, with committee responsibilities spanning audit, risk, cyber and fraud, remuneration, and people and culture.
Morgan was recognised for service to the insurance sector and is a national executive adjuster at Sedgwick Australia, with a loss adjusting career that included senior roles at GAB Robins, as well as positions at MBS Loss Adjusters and McDonald Herron & Co.
His industry involvement included leadership and education work through the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance, where he served as president, and the Diploma of Loss Adjusting, where he acted as the main marker and co-developer over an extended period.
Murphy received an OAM for service to business through governance roles and has held senior insurance leadership positions, including chief strategy officer and chief transformation officer roles at Insurance Australia Group and a period as chief executive officer of Buzz Insurance, alongside earlier executive responsibilities linked to Promina Group and Vero Insurance.
Murphy is described as a chair and non-executive director with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, including C-suite roles spanning strategy and organisational change. Her current appointments include chair roles at Helia and the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland’s group entities, alongside a non-executive role at Liberty Financial Group.
She has also been involved with the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance initiative, including as an Australian industry delegate and a former founding board member.
Edgar, who is currently the principal and director of Edgar Insurance Brokers (now Gallagher), received an OAM for service to the Cobram community. He also currently serves as the chair of Cobram Community Enterprise (Bendigo Bank) and has been a director since 2007. Edgar is also listed as a life and foundation member of the Cobram Barooga Kiwanis Club and a member of the Cobram Lawn Tennis Club.
