Richard Upton has been promoted to HDI Global Specialty branch manager for New Zealand.

He joined the group in May last year as the country’s head of financial lines and will continue in that role.

Local MD Stefan Feldmann says the promotion is “a natural progression”.

“New Zealand is an important and growing part of our Asia-Pacific strategy. With Richard at the helm, I have no doubt we will accelerate our ambitions,” he said.

“Since joining ... he has demonstrated exactly the qualities we need: technical excellence, strong broker relationships, and a clear-eyed understanding of where the market opportunities lie.”

Mr Upton previously spent nearly a decade with Zurich’s New Zealand team and has also held roles across London and New Zealand markets for IAG, Allianz, AIG and Lumley General Insurance.

“I’m genuinely excited about what we can build here,” he said. “New Zealand is a sophisticated market and there is real appetite for the kind of deep specialty expertise that HDI Global is uniquely positioned to provide.

“My focus will be on building trusted, long-term partnerships with our brokers and clients, and on establishing HDI Global as a reliable and genuinely local presence in this market.

“We have the global capacity and the specialist expertise – now it’s about making that real for New Zealand businesses.”