Cowbell appoints Gerry Power as general manager Australia

Cowbell has appointed Gerry Power as General Manager, Australia, a newly created role as the cyber insurer expands in the local market.

He will oversee market development, distribution strategy and the build-out of local operations, working alongside Anthony Wall, Head of Underwriting, Australia, as Cowbell strengthens broker relationships and its local presence.

The appointment adds another senior executive to Cowbell's Australian operation as it pursues broader international expansion. The business already operates in the United States, the United Kingdom and India, and identifies Australia as a key part of that effort.

Power brings more than 35 years of experience in underwriting, distribution, professional risks and insurance governance in the Australian market. He has held senior roles across specialist underwriting agencies and major insurers, with a focus on cyber insurance, professional indemnity, management liability and directors' and officers' liability.

Before joining Cowbell, he held senior leadership positions at Emergence Insurance, CGU, AMP and Dexta Corporation/Stardex Insurance Group. At Emergence, he served as Head of Sales and helped expand the business into a specialist cyber underwriting agency. At CGU, he was Senior Underwriter and Cyber Subject Matter Expert, helping the insurer enter Australia's cyber insurance market.

Earlier in his career, Power held senior executive and shareholder roles at Dexta/Stardex, where he helped develop an automated online technology insurance platform. He also led AMP's move into the directors' and officers' liability market in Australia and New Zealand as Head of D&O.

Australia focus

Cyber insurance has become more competitive in Australia as brokers and insurers respond to greater awareness of digital threats, ransomware incidents and regulatory scrutiny of cyber resilience. Local insurers and underwriting agencies have been building specialist teams as demand for cover and related advisory services grows among small and mid-sized businesses.

Cowbell's model combines cyber cover with technology errors and omissions and management liability products. It serves businesses with up to AUD $1 billion in annual revenue and works with more than 25 global reinsurance partners across commercial and specialty lines.

Founded in 2019, the insurer is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has expanded internationally with teams across the United States, Canada, Australia, India and the United Kingdom, and has built its business around digital distribution and continuous risk assessment.

In Australia, Cowbell is emphasising broker distribution as it builds scale. That focus is reflected in Power's remit, which includes working closely with brokers and strengthening local operations while maintaining alignment with the group's underwriting approach.

Jack Kudale, Founder and CEO of Cowbell, outlined the rationale for the appointment.

"Australia is a key market for Cowbell as we continue to expand internationally. Gerry brings deep market experience and strong broker relationships, which are critical to building a cyber insurance business that is both practical and responsive to local needs. His leadership will help us support brokers with clear, tailored solutions that strengthen how they protect their clients," Kudale said.

The move also highlights the importance of local market knowledge in cyber insurance, where underwriting performance often depends on broker education, policy clarity and an insurer's ability to respond to changing threats. Australian buyers have become more familiar with cyber cover in recent years, but insurers still face the task of defining risks clearly and managing exposures as claims trends shift.

For Cowbell, hiring a senior local executive with deep broker and underwriting experience suggests a push to establish a more permanent operating footing rather than relying solely on cross-border support. Power's experience in governance and underwriting agency operations may also prove useful as the business builds out its structure in the market.

The appointment comes as specialist cyber insurers look for growth outside their home markets while balancing underwriting discipline and distribution reach. In Australia, where brokers play a central role in placing commercial insurance, those relationships remain a key factor in gaining share in specialist lines.

Power will now be responsible for turning that strategy into a local operation as Cowbell seeks to deepen its position in the Australian cyber insurance market.