Our leaders

    The names and faces behind Vero New Zealand

    Vero’s Executive team is responsible for the strategic direction and operational delivery of the Vero group of businesses in New Zealand. The team is located in the Vero Centre, at 48 Shortland Street - the heart of Auckland’s Central Business District.

    Chief Executive Roger Bell is responsible for the strategy and operational delivery of general insurance operations in New Zealand including the strong Vero intermediary business and a number of successful niche specialists.

    Roger has held many roles, both in Australia and New Zealand, during his 33-year tenure with the Royal & SunAlliance Group. After representing New Zealand on the Promina Executive Board, Roger was appointed to the Suncorp Group Executive following the banking and insurance group's acquisition of the Promina Group in 2007. This broad experience gives him a comprehensive understanding of the New Zealand insurance industry.

    Roger sits on the Board of the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation. He is a Fellow of the Australia and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and a member of the New Zealand Business Roundtable. He has a strong passion for politics and cooking, the latter of which he has made time to master in recent years.
    • Andrew AitkenExecutive General Manager, Vero Commercial & Personal
    As General Manager of Vero Commercial & Personal, Andrew Aitken is responsible for leading the Vero Commercial & Personal business, including New Zealand Claims, Underwriting, the Vero Branch Network and Vero Commercial Motor.

    Andrew has been with the group for over 28 years, moving from Guardian Royal Exchange, where he was Manager of Marketing & Development, to Royal & SunAlliance in 1991. Having worked in Underwriting, Claims, Sales, Systems Development, Marketing and Operations Management at various stages of his career, Andrew has broad experience of the insurance industry.


    Andrew is a Fellow of the Australian & New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and is a keen boatie and skier.
    As Chief Financial Officer, Peter is responsible for the Finance and Administration areas within Vero. He is also a Director of Vero Liability.

    A member of the Royal & SunAlliance, now Vero, team since 1980, Peter has held a number of actuarial roles in both the general and life insurance areas. He has also been involved in product development and strategic planning. Peter has twice been seconded to the UK for actuarial roles and after returning to New Zealand in 1998 was initially involved in our entry into the privatised workplace accident insurance market as General Business Actuary. Prior to his appointment as Chief Financial Officer, Peter was Vero’s Chief Actuary.

    Peter is a Fellow of both the Institute of Actuaries and the New Zealand Society of Actuaries. He is also the immediate past President of the New Zealand Society of Actuaries.
    Andrew Diver is responsible for Systems Development, Project and Programme Management.

    Andrew has enjoyed a career spanning more than twenty five years with Royal & SunAlliance, now Vero. His roles have included Group Programme Manager, Australasia; Group Programme Manager, New Zealand; eBusiness Manager; Manager, Sun Direct Insurance; Assistant Manager, Group Schemes and Assistant Manager, Organisation and Methods.

    Andrew is a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Insurance Institute as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing (UK). He was the 1996 RSVP Winner at the DMA Awards (for Sun Direct) and in 1997 won the TVNZ/Marketing Magazine Retail Marketer of Year, also for Sun Direct. In 2007 Andrew was awarded CIO of the Year at the Computer Excellence Awards.
    Nigel works collaboratively with Vero subsidiaries and joint ventures but is the Vero New Zealand Executive specifically responsible for Autosure and the Comprehensive Travel joint venture. His other major responsibilities include developing major banking corporate relationships and preparing for the possibility of ACC being opened to competition should there be a change of government in late 2008.

    Nigel has been with the company for 15 years and has experience spanning several senior roles including General Manager of Fusion (Vero’s Accident Insurance business) and Underwriting & Pricing Director for Royal & Sun Alliance Healthcare & Assistance in the UK. Before taking up his current role, he was Manager of Strategic Projects for Vero New Zealand, where he developed acquisition opportunities and led the development of a new point of sale motor product for Vero's wholly owned subsidiary, Autosure.

    Nigel is the Chairman of the Insurance Council New Zealand standing Accident Insurance Committee. His main hobby is getting out on his launch for a day of fishing and relaxing.
    • John KeaneExecutive General Manager Business Performance, Strategic & Insurance Services
    Since joining Vero in 2006, John has been responsible for measuring business performance, aligning business strategies and embedding Vero's strategic plan. Drawing upon his wide experience in adopting excellence practices, John is working collaboratively across the business to drive World Class business performance.

    Born in Ireland, John has worked in the General and Life companies of Royal & SunAlliance in the UK for 14 years and with a number of other companies including Allied Irish Bank, Aviva and Aegon, in quality initiatives and business excellence practices. John has also worked under the auspices of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) in adopting their Excellence model.
    Ali is firmly of the belief that it is only through people that organisations can build a sustainable competitive advantage into the future. Starting off with a social science degree followed latterly by a post-grad qualification in business administration, she has worked in social work, sales, marketing & HR leadership roles in both the private & public sector. Ali has been with Vero for seven years and considers it the best job she has ever had - as a result of working with a truly people-oriented CEO and having a team of competent & passionate HR/Learning & Development practitioners. She and her team are given the trust and license to build and deploy World-Class, organisationally aligned, people processes & practices within a successful New Zealand organisation – what more could you want?!?
    • Adrian TullochExecutive General Manager, Vero Corporate & Speciality Lines
    As Executive General Manager of Vero Corporate & Speciality Lines, Adrian Tulloch has overall responsibility for Vero Marine, Vero Accident & Health, Vero Construction & Engineering, Vero Corporate Property and Vero Specialist Risks. Adrian is also the Managing Director of Vero Liability Insurance Ltd since it was established as Royal & SunAlliance Liability Insurance, in August 2001.

    Prior to this, Adrian established the liability division of HIH in NZ when he joined the company in 1988. Adrian was also a Director of HIH in NZ from 1992 until 2001. In all, Adrian has had more than 27 years experience in liability insurance underwriting and management, and has been at the forefront of innovation in the sector.

    Adrian’s career highlight has been the successful launch and operation of Vero Liability which now has a staff of 45 and a top 3 market share.

    Vero sells its products through independent brokers. You can find a broker near you with the help of Vero’s Broker Locator...