Allianz Australia appoints Mike Wood as new Chief Information Officer
Allianz Australia has today announced the appointment of Mike Wood as the organisation's Chief Information Officer (CIO). In this role, Mike will lead a wide range of information technology (IT) initiatives across Australia and New Zealand.
Mike joins Allianz with 29 years' experience successfully leading the provision of front, middle and back office systems solutions in the financial sector, both in Australia and globally. In 2016, he was appointed to the global role of CIO for Westpac Institutional Bank. Prior to this, Mike was CIO for Westpac Retail and Business Bank, and CIO of Lloyds International. Mike holds a Bachelor of Science with honours in Computing Science from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom.
Allianz Australia Chief Operating Officer (COO) David Krawitz congratulated Mr Wood on his appointment.
"We are thrilled to have Mike join the Allianz team. He brings with him exceptional experience and expertise in IT operations, globally and locally," David said.
"Mike joins us at a particularly important time as we are implementing significant change across Allianz's IT delivery to improve both our customer and employee experience. Mike's extensive experience in aligning business goals with IT strategy, while leading cross-divisional teams, will make him an instrumental member of our leadership team. We look forward to working with Mike on driving these changes."
When speaking about his new role, Mike noted, "I've always enjoyed working in the financial services sector, and this new role is a chance to learn with the Allianz team while helping to evolve their IT strategy for the future. I look forward to being a part of Allianz and their exciting IT growth opportunities."
Mike will join Allianz on 18 March, reporting to David Krawitz (COO). He succeeds the organisation's current CIO, Thomas Ruedesheim, who will be returning to Europe in May to continue working within the Allianz Group.
