Sompo is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Head of Marine, Australia to establish, grow and lead the Australian Marine portfolio. This role will be instrumental in building Sompo's presence in the Australian Marine market, developing strong broker partnerships, and delivering sustainable, profitable growth.

The successful candidate will bring deep Marine underwriting expertise, an established broker network within the Australian market, and the ability to identify and capitalize on new business opportunities. As the portfolio evolves, the role will also play a key part in expanding Sompo's Marine product offering, including the development and rollout of new products across Australia and the broader APAC region.

This is an exciting opportunity for a market-facing underwriting leader to shape the future direction of Sompo's Marine business in Australia.

This role will report to the Head of Commercial Lines, APAC.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Growth

- Lead the development and execution of Sompo Australia's Marine business strategy, with an initial focus on growing a profitable Cargo Insurance portfolio.
- Identify market opportunities and develop underwriting strategies to expand Sompo's presence in the Australian Marine sector.
- Drive sustainable growth while maintaining underwriting discipline and profitability targets.
- Contribute to the broader Marine strategy across Australia and support future regional growth initiatives.

Underwriting Leadership
- Maintain technical underwriting oversight across the Marine portfolio, with particular emphasis on Cargo Insurance.
- Ensure underwriting decisions align with Sompo's risk appetite, authority framework and governance requirements.
- Monitor portfolio performance, pricing adequacy, loss ratios and exposure management.




- Provide technical expertise and guidance on complex or large Cargo risks.
- Develop underwriting standards, best practices and portfolio management disciplines.

Broker & Market Development
- Build, maintain and strengthen relationships with key brokers, clients and industry stakeholders across Australia.
- Leverage an established broker network to drive new business opportunities and enhance Sompo's market presence.
- Act as a visible market representative for Sompo within the Australian Marine Insurance community.

Product Development & Innovation
- Support the design, development and rollout of new Marine-related products, including:
- Logistics and/or Freight Forwarders Liability
- Other emerging supply chain and transportation-related solutions
- Collaborate with regional and global stakeholders to support phased product expansion initiatives across APAC.
- Monitor market trends and evolving customer needs to identify product enhancement opportunities.

Financial & Operational Performance
- Deliver agreed Gross Written Premium (GWP), profitability and growth objectives.
- Manage portfolio budgeting, forecasting and business planning activities.
- Monitor performance metrics and implement corrective actions where required.
- Provide regular portfolio reporting and insights to senior leadership.

Leadership & Collaboration
- Lead, coach and mentor Marine underwriting professionals, fostering a high-performance and customer-focused culture.
- Collaborate closely with Claims,



Risk, Actuarial, Operations, Distribution and Regional Marine teams.
- Promote underwriting excellence, accountability and continuous improvement across the function.

Qualifications & Experience

Essential

- Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional qualification.
- 10-15 years of Marine underwriting experience, primarily Cargo underwriting
- Knowledge of Logistics Liability segment would be an advantage
- Demonstrated success in developing and managing profitable Cargo portfolios.
- Strong understanding of the Australian Marine Insurance market and competitive landscape.
- Well-established broker relationships and networks within the Australian insurance market.
- Proven business development and portfolio growth experience.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience managing underwriting profitability and performance metrics.
- Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation and relationship-building skills.

Preferred

- ANZIIF, ACII or equivalent insurance qualifications.
- Experience launching or expanding Marine products within a commercial insurance environment.
- Exposure to Logistics Liability, Freight Forwarders Liability or related transportation classes.
- Experience working within a multinational or regional insurance organization.

Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate is a highly respected Marine underwriter with deep Cargo Insurance expertise, a solid network of Australian brokers, and a proven ability to build profitable portfolios. They will be entrepreneurial, market-facing and commercially focused, with the leadership capability to expand Sompo's Marine platform and support future product growth opportunities across Australia and APAC.

The position can be based in Sydney or Melbourne, Australia.

📌 Head of Marine Underwriting, Australia (Melbourne)
🏢 Sompo
📍 Melbourne