St Andrew’s names head of distribution

St Andrew’s Australia, the wealth and insurance arm of HBOS Australia, has announced the appointment of Sean Straney as its new head of distribution.

Straney, 41, was previously responsible for launching Citgroup’s Goldcard and growing Westpac’s Merchant Acquiring business and Business Lending businesses.

“Straney’s roles have spanned general management, product development and sales team leadership and included business-to-customer as well as business-to-business operations, so he’s well suited for this role,” St Andrew’s director of insurance Renato Mazza said.

“We are being asked to support the insurance programs of a growing number of blue chip Australian companies and 2008 promises to be another big year for us. Straney’s appointment will provide the focus required to ensure that our existing and new partners achieve, in many cases, ambitious insurance growth targets,” he said.

Straney holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia. He is also a director of Odyssey House McGrath Foundation.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges of further developing the insurance portfolio, including exploring opportunities for international growth,” Straney said.