IFB makes key hires to drive forward new fraud fighting strategy

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) has appointed two senior staff to support the launch its new strategy to manage fraud across all product types and build an intelligence-sharing infrastructure for the industry.

Steven Drake and Barry Walton have been appointed as project manager and business analyst respectively.

Drake and Walton together have 50 years of project, business analyst and IT experience, including 20 years in the insurance and financial sectors.

In September, IFB director Ben Fletcher announced that, after talks with industry fraud managers and chief executives since the start of last year, the bureau would look at two areas in its continued fight against insurance fraud; creating an industry-led strategy to tackle organised fraud across all lines, and managing intelligence.

As part of the strategic roll-out, a project team has been created tasked with defining the requirements central to the expansion of the IFB’s remit.

The team will have of three parts; a project board with overall responsibility for the governance and delivery of the strategic work programme, and two project groups - one focusing on the IFB’s expansion cover all products, the other focusing on creating the infrastructure needed to share intelligence compliantly and efficiently.

Allianz fraud manager Mihir Pandya will chair the strategy project board, Zurich claims fraud and investigations manager Scott Clayton will lead expansion, and RSA head of financial crime and fraud John Beadle will lead the intelligence work.

Day-to-day work will be led by Drake and each team will have a dedicated business analyst, one of which will be Walton. They will report to the insurer chairmen.

Fletcher said: “The implementation of the IFB strategy has taken a significant step forward as a result of these two appointments.

“The knowledge and experience that Steven and Barry will bring to the IFB will ensure that the work required to drive forward our new strategic direction maintains momentum.”

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