After two and a half years, Allianz Australia’s chief technology officer Mike Wood has left for Suncorp’s insurance group. Wood announced his departure from the insurance business earlier this month and joined Suncorp on Monday. He described the position as a “really exciting opportunity with such a wonderful firm,” and he hopes to meet his new coworkers.
According to a Suncorp spokeswoman, Wood’s combination of banking and tech leadership expertise will guarantee that the bank can harness technology for improved consumer results. Suncorp stated, “Mike’s worldwide experience in executing IT strategy and direction will be an advantage to Suncorp’s Insurance business as it continues to face digital advancements.”
Before joining Allianz Australia, Wood spent five years at Westpac in several CIO roles. He joined the bank in 2014 as CIO for banking before it became CIO for retail and business banking. He finally got Westpac’s top CIO post, which he held for nearly three years. Wood has also served as Lloyds Banking Group’s Sydney-based head of IT and CIO, where he was responsible for overseeing all elements of IT for worldwide operations.
Brendan Dunne, chief customer and operations officer at Allianz Australia, said that the company is already “actively looking for” a new CIO to handle Allianz’s IT operations. “This person will be in charge of our IT strategy and operations, including IT reform and our technologies and solutions that support both customers and workplace,” Dunne explained. “In the meanwhile, we are glad to inform you that Pete Oakes has begun in the capacity of Acting CIO.” “With his extensive awareness of our IT transformation agenda, Pete has been with Allianz for 15 years and is ideally situated to function in the CIO post.” “We have a solid team in place, led by Pete, that is executing on our IT plan for the benefit of customers and staff.”
