ClearView Names Former AIA Staffer as Chief Underwriter

ClearView has appointed a former AIA Australia underwriting manager as its Chief Underwriter following the departure of the previous incumbent.

ClearView stated it had appointed former AIA Australia NSW State Underwriting and Operations Manager, Warren Page to the role previously held by Scott Hodgson since November 2011.

Hodgson left ClearView last month to take on a similar role at another employer with Page now set to report to ClearView General Manager, People and Operations, Deb Lowe.

Page joined AIA Australia in April 2012 and prior to that held the role of Chief Underwriter at AMP as part of his 25 years of underwriting experience.

In the new role, Page will lead the ClearView national underwriting team, work with the group’s reinsurer to evolve the underwriting processes, and develop adviser relationships through consistent underwriting expertise.

“I was attracted to ClearView’s vision and strategy to have one sustainable product line with one sustainable price,” Page said in a newsletter sent to advisers.

“As a relative newcomer, ClearView isn’t weighed down and held back by a large, poor performing legacy book. Being free of historical mispricing is an enormous advantage,” he said.

Page also said he wanted to narrow the gap between underwriters and advisers and spend more time explaining the underwriting process.

“Underwriters today need to be technical and practical. They can’t just sit in their office shielded by administration staff. They need to be more proactive and accessible to advisers. As an industry we need to get better at facilitating open communication so advisers feel comfortable to ask questions and at the same time, if there is an unexpected decision, underwriters can explain the reason,” he said.