Tower appoints new head of general insurance and direct

Tower Ltd has appointed Pieter Lindhout as chief executive officer, general insurance and direct, for its New Zealand operations. Lindhout joins Tower from The Spencer Partnership based in Australia where he has been general manager for the past two years. The Spencer Partnership specialises in providing consultancy services to the Insurance and Financial Services industries. Prior to that he was with AMP in both Australia and New Zealand after spending many years in the health insurance industry. He holds a Master of Business from the Sturt University and a Bachelor of Education (Hons) from the University of Sydney. Tower Group ceo Jim Minto, said Lindhout would report directly to him under the structure he implemented when he became group ceo on 1 March 2005. “The structure involving five business line ceos reporting to the group ceo is about focussing on competitive positions in particular markets as well as driving accountability and performance as Tower moves into its growth phase,” Minto said. Lindhout will take up his new role on 2 May 2005.