Kennedys opens Brisbane office

Matt Andrews, managing partner of Kennedys in Australia, said the expansion is part of the firm’s commitment to providing the “best on-the-ground capability” wherever its clients need it.

“We have long planned to extend our presence along the east coast and have already hit the ground running,” Andrews said. “The last two years of remote working gave us the opportunity to be nimble in our approach to working with clients. Many of our partners will travel to and from Brisbane regularly to work with our national insurer clients, all of whom have a presence here – it’s great to have a new base on the ground close to many of our valued clients.”

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Seasoned insurance specialist Stephanie Cook, known for her expertise in property and financial lines insurance, will lead the new Brisbane office.

“It is an ideal time to open an office in Brisbane – after a lengthy isolation from the rest of the world and long periods of separation even from the rest of Australia, there is a genuine desire for many people to re-connect personally. Having a local presence in Brisbane enables us to do that with many of our insurance clients,” she said.

Cook aims to grow the business sustainably and offer its existing clients the benefits of working with a global firm with a genuinely local presence and knowledge.

“We will build a team who share Kennedys’ values and are able to provide jurisdiction-specific insights, backed by the broader international team and the wealth of experience that comes with a firm like Kennedys,” she said. “I look forward to taking up the opportunity to offer a genuine national presence and reaffirm Kennedys’ longstanding commitment to the Australian insurance market.”

The announcement of Kennedys’ expansion to Brisbane follows the firm’s significant investment in its Australian team in the past years by opening new offices across Australia and increasing its headcount.