Insurance firm Youi hires new boss Nathaniel Simpson

Some big changes at the top of one of Queensland’s biggest insurers Youi with a new chief executive taking over from the founding boss of the company.

Some big changes at the top of Queensland-based insurer Youi with veteran finance executive Nathaniel Simpson taking over from founding chief executive Hugo Schreuder. Simpson has worked at Youi and South African parent OUTsurance Group for 17 years as well as filling various senior executive roles including chief product officer, chief operating officer and chief customer and innovation officer. While he has an actuarial background, Simpson also has led customer, research and development, and operational functions throughout his career. Schreuder will transition to Youi’s board as part of the changing of the guard. Schreuder was Youi’s founding boss when the business launched in 2008 and has been with OUTsurance Group since 2003. Separately Youi has appointed Steve Nichols as chief information officer. Nichols has extensive leadership experience with particular expertise in digital, marketing, strategy, data and analytics and business operations within large organisations such as Shell Energy Australia, NBN Co and Telstra.

Hugo Schreuder from Youi

Irish eyes

It was a big week for the Irish. The annual St Patrick’s Day nosh up at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre attracted several hundred people who washed down chicken and speck stew, Irish mash potato, Reuben salad and smoked salmon with gallons of Guinness. The event, organised by the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce, is becoming a much-loved event at the centre with master of ceremonies for the lunch Brendan Long, of local law firm Celtic Law, pointing out the deep connections between Brisbane and Ireland. More than 153,000 Brisbane residents have direct Irish ancestry and about 5000 were born in Ireland. Long, who moved to Australia from Ireland more than a decade ago, says the Irish business community remains a strong presence in the city. Long, who did his law degree in Ireland, founded Celtic Legal in 2016 and specialises in insolvency and commercial law. We hear the lunch continued long into the afternoon with entertainment provided by the Watkins Academy of Irish Dance, comedian Ian Coppinger and music group The Gathering.

Robert O’Connor celebrating St Patrick’s Day at Fin McCools in Fortitude Valley.

Digging deep

Resources investors will be out in force in Brisbane again this week as Phil Dickinson’s Brisbane Mining Investor Conference returns to Royal on the Park backed by Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ). With participating companies from a range of sectors including critical minerals, copper and gold, energy and base metals, your diarist hears there should be something for every mining investor to pour over. And with Queensland’s green hydrogen industry starting to take shape, Pure Hydrogen’s Scott Brown will tell investors of plans to build a complete hydrogen ecosystem, both domestic and export. The conference is one of a number planned in 2023 by Dickinson, including his showcase Noosa mining conference set for the Sunshine Coast resort town in July.

Phil Dickinson, organiser of the Noosa Mining Conference. Picture: Annette Dew

Box seat

Global foreign exchange and trade finance fintech firm Ebury has appointed veteran foreign exchange and account management executive Callum Box as its Queensland state manager. Ebury says the appointment comes as its customer base in Queensland continues to grow rapidly, with client numbers almost doubling over the past year.

Box has almost 20 years of financial services and sales experience in New Zealand and Australia. He has joined Ebury from Brisbane-based payments company Convera where he was a senior foreign exchange consultant and prior to this worked for almost eight years as a senior foreign exchange consultant for Western Union Business Solutions.

Box says currency markets are much harder to predict than ever, and Australian companies face the challenge of trying to manage the impact of local as well as other global variables.

“While businesses are presented with many opportunities, they also face the pitfalls of trying to navigate increasingly interconnected financial markets,” Box says.

“My job is to work closely with finance executives in Queensland and across Australia to navigate these challenges.”