CIO for Ando Insurance

Location: Auckland, New Zealand

The company

Ando is a multi-lines insurance business which sell policies through New Zealand’s leading insurance brokers. What truly sets Ando apart is its commitment to redefining how insurance feels. Born from a desire to make the industry less complex and more transparent, Ando places strong emphasis on relationships, technology‑enabled service, and improving customer wellbeing. Whether it’s safeguarding homes, contents, vehicles, or providing specialist commercial solutions across property, liability, marine, and more, Ando partners closely with brokers to minimise risk and support Kiwis when things go wrong.

Our brief

With Envest’s strategic investment, backed by the global scale and capability of The Ardonagh Group, Ando is stepping into a transformational phase of accelerated growth. This shift isn’t merely about expanding the business; it’s about doing so smarter, faster, more efficiently, and with a relentless focus on experience.

To achieve this, Ando is looking to unlock far greater value from its existing systems, streamline internal operations, and invest thoughtfully in emerging technologies such as AI, automation, and next‑generation digital tools that improve both productivity and profitability.

At the same time, Ando is doubling down on its greatest strength - deep, trusted relationships with New Zealand’s leading broker groups. The company is enhancing digital platforms to ensure brokers, particularly smaller independents, receive an intuitive, highly responsive, best‑in‑class experience.

The organisation needs a technology leader capable of guiding this next chapter - someone who can drive digital transformation, modernise platforms, champion automation, and translate innovation into meaningful broker and customer value. The CIO will help shape how Ando scales, how efficiently it operates, and how effectively it stays ahead in a sector defined by rapid change.

The challenges

Finding the right CIO for Ando wasn’t simply about securing a highly capable technologist; it was about identifying a leader with the emotional intelligence, humility, and strategic maturity to guide a business at a pivotal moment in its evolution.

One of the biggest challenges was culture fit. Ando’s success has been built on strong relationships, low ego, and a deep respect for its history. The incoming CIO needed to honour that legacy, recognising that the task ahead wasn’t about correcting anything, but thoughtfully guiding the team forward and enhancing ways of working. This was a cultural and behavioural transformation as much as it was a sweeping digital overhaul.

Equally important was finding someone who could operate seamlessly across altitudes. At the executive table, the CIO would need to think commercially and strategically, helping shape the future of a rapidly scaling organisation. Yet they also had to retain credibility with their technical teams at a granular level. They needed to influence without fanfare, effect change without disruption, and lead without ego. In short: someone who could drive meaningful transformation, but do so in a way that worked effectively with the strategy of the business.

And then there was the AI dimension. With so much noise in the market, Ando needed a leader who could cut through the hype. Someone with a genuine track record of using AI to create real, measurable efficiency gains, not just talking about future possibilities. The right candidate had to see the technology clearly, apply it pragmatically, and ensure it enhanced productivity rather than becoming a distraction.

Our approach

Our approach to this assignment was deliberately comprehensive and globally minded. We ran an exhaustive search across both the New Zealand market and key international hubs, placing particular emphasis on Kiwis offshore who were considering a return home.

At the executive level, we narrowed in on leaders who had not only operated commercially and strategically, but who also had a verifiable track record of successfully adopting and embedding AI in ways that drove real organisational value. This ensured we attracted candidates capable of cutting through hype and delivering genuine, measurable transformation.

To reach this calibre of talent, we deployed a multi‑channel sourcing strategy: targeted advertising across the major job boards in New Zealand and Australia, deep searches of online professional networks, and high‑trust referral pathways through our established industry connections. This blend of broad reach and precise, relationship‑led outreach enabled us to surface both visible and hidden talent, ensuring the final shortlist was diverse, high‑quality, and rigorously aligned to Ando’s needs.

The outcome

The search culminated in an exceptionally strong shortlist, reflecting both the depth and diversity of talent we engaged throughout the process. From this highly competitive field, we were delighted to secure an accomplished, award‑winning technology leader whose vision, momentum, and commercial acuity have consistently positioned technology as a true catalyst for business performance.

What set this individual apart was not just their stellar track record in digital transformation, but the rare combination of deep technical authority, credible executive presence, and a genuine passion for cultivating high‑performing, human‑centred cultures. Their leadership has already earned industry‑wide recognition, demonstrating an ability to elevate teams, guiding them to evolve confidently rather than subjecting them to disruptive overhaul.

Equally compelling was their proven capability in AI adoption. They have previously delivered practical, measurable, efficiency‑driven solutions, cutting through the noise to implement AI in ways that genuinely move the dial. This blend of strategic clarity, cultural intelligence, and hands‑on innovation made them the standout choice to lead Ando into its next chapter.

Feedback from Thérèse Singleton, Chief Executive Officer at Ando

“We chose Convergence for this pivotal executive role for Ando because of our belief that Dave and Claire were deeply committed to understanding our business, strategy and culture. From a start up to a maturing business requires a different type of CIO and the Convergence team spent an enormous amount of energy in understanding the brief fully. That time was spent with the teams internally and with me and the Board helped to fill the gaps in the brief that we didn’t even know we had.

Their service was exceptional at each stage. The quality of the preparation was evident from our first meeting. From the long list right through to the interview process they were supportive, professional and importantly willing to challenge us. The chosen candidate has lived up to everything we would have hoped for. I would struggle to recommend another agency as highly as Convergence for the role they have played in helping us to secure the exact right person for our team.”

Ando are challenging some of the industry norms and finding ways to make insurance less complex, less stressful and more transparent - read more here: https://www.ando.co.nz/