Allianz’s Graham Gibson has been appointed as chairman of Thatcham Research’s board. The board is drawn from the independent organisation’s 24 member insurers, who fund research on vehicle safety, security, personal injury and accident damage repair.
As chief claims officer at Allianz Insurance, one of the world’s largest insurance companies, Graham is an industry advocate with extensive experience in a range of market initiatives across claims and personal injury. He also serves on a variety of insurer-related groups, including the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
“I am excited to have been given this opportunity to work closely with Thatcham Research,” said Gibson. “Their passion and commitment to improving automotive safety and security demonstrates a dedication to both the insurance industry and vehicle manufacturers. I have seen first-hand the hard work and innovative research carried out by Thatcham Research having been an active member of its board since 2012. I look forward to working with members of the team and producing some exciting research.”
Gibson replaces current chairman Ian Currie, who is retiring from his role as UK motor and injury claims director at RSA, after two-and-a-half years at the helm. Currie has contributed to Thatcham Research as a board member over six years and helped steer it through a period of notable change, with the organisation increasingly recognised for its work on assisted and automated driving assessment and testing.
“Under Ian Currie’s leadership, we have repositioned ourselves to address the future challenges for the motor insurance industry,” said Ruth McRitchie, director of finance at Thatcham Research. “Our new three-year strategic plan sets out the key challenges of preparing our members for the emergence of autonomous and assisted driving. This includes the impact of connected cars and cybersecurity, along with the repair challenges resulting from the rapid growth of new electric and hybrid vehicles. We’re very much looking forward to working even more closely with Graham as he prepares to build on everything that Ian has delivered for us. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Ian, who has provided us with such strong leadership.”
Thatcham Research is an independent voice for automotive safety and repair, advising motorists, insurers and vehicle manufacturers to help reduce accident frequency, severity and costs. As well as its crash and track research, Thatcham Research tests and accredits crash repair parts, vehicle repair technicians and other products and services within the collision repair industry for insurers, motor manufacturers, equipment manufacturers and suppliers. In the 1990s, Thatcham Research introduced the New Vehicle Security Assessment to address vehicle crime. A founder member of the international Research Council for Automobile Repairs, Thatcham Research has also been a member of Euro NCAP since 2004.