to accommodate employees’ adjusted work arrangements. “Creating workspaces that reflect who we are and how we operate was a significant consideration for our people,” the spokesperson said. “QBE is proud of its commitment to a sustainable business, and sustainability and resource efficiency have been central to the building’s refurbished design.
Q&A
Mark Leplastrier Executive manager, natural perils IAG
“Creating workspaces that reflect who we are and how we operate was a significant consideration” “We have chosen sustainably certified and low-emission materials throughout, including for furniture and building materials such as carpet, paint and timber; waterefficient fittings and appliances; energyefficient lighting and technology; and 100% renewable electricity.” Importantly, according to QBE, the new office was designed with employee experience and wellbeing top of mind. “We’re really thinking about work as something we do, rather than a place we go,” said Shiona Watson, QBE’s chief human resources officer for Australia Pacific. “We work flexibly, making the call on when we’re in the office or at home based on when it makes sense for the things we’re working on, where the rest of our team is and the needs of our customers.”
Years in the industry 20+ Fast fact An atmospheric scientist, Leplastrier specialises in exploring the impact of climate change and severe weather on insurance risk
A coordinated disaster approach With extreme weather events forecast to be more frequent and intense, how is IAG preparing from an insurance and risk mitigation perspective? Over the past couple of years, there has been a change in the national dialogue on climate change, sadly brought about by the Black Summer bushfires. It has raised the importance of examining what we can do better as a nation to mitigate the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters. We have a proud history of action on climate and continue to focus on collaboration across sectors. This includes engaging with governments, regulators and the insurance industry on climate policy; working with community organisations to improve climate resilience; and continuing to contribute research to address knowledge gaps on the physical risks of climate change. For example, we believe it’s important to have a central source of scientific information which can be built on, and this is one of the aims of the Severe Weather in a Changing Climate report, which we first released in 2019; after encouraging further collaboration and feedback, we released an updated version in September 2020. IAG also participates in the Insurance Council of Australia climate change action committee. We also released fact sheets on bushfire, flood and tropical cyclones to help people better understand and prepare for severe weather.
What were the biggest challenges following the recent flooding in Queensland and New South Wales? One of the challenges this event has highlighted is the amount of development in floodplains and the need to help communities and residents better understand their flood risk. For example, properties are often described as being at risk of a 1-in-100-year flood. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the property will only flood once every 100 years. It means the AEP [annual exceedance probability] is 1%, so there’s a 1% risk of flooding every year. In addition, floods much rarer than 1% AEP can occur and have devastating impacts on communities. Many people are likely to be at a higher risk of flooding over their lifetime than they realise.
What’s on the agenda for IAG when it comes to disasters? We believe we need a coordinated national approach from governments, industries and businesses to build more resilient communities and reduce the impact of disasters. As insurers, it’s time to be involved in defining what we mean by resilience – and specifically what needs to be done to the national construction code, land use planning and legacy building stock to improve community resilience. We want to see a focus on financial safety, not only life safety, so that insurance remains accessible and affordable. That’s why IAG is working with industry peers and partners, including the ICA and the Master Builders Association.
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