IAG has appointed Mark Drasutis as chief digital officer (CDO), leading the business’s digital strategy and experience team, the company announced.

Drasutis will assume the principal leadership role within IAG’s Customer Labs, a dedicated innovation division which works across IAG’s staple of brands including NRMA Insurance, CGU, SGIO, SGIC and WFI in Australia, as well as NZI and AMI in New Zealand.

IAG’s Customer Labs was launched in 2015, tasked with managing the company’s customer experience initiatives. Both IAG’s digital and marketing teams fall under the Customer Labs umbrella, which also manages product development, pricing, brand architecture, human-centred designed and digital incubation projects.

Previously serving as chief product officer, digital, for News Corp Australia, Drasutis led the media giant’s digital product, platform, UXD, audience insights and innovation teams.

Drasutis appears buoyant over the prospects for developing IAG’s digital and customer-centric goals.

“Digital is now central to insurance services and sets new levels of customer expectations for IAG and its brands to make peoples’ lives safer,” Drasutis said.

“This opportunity to combine the great teams, data, platforms and technologies at IAG was one I couldn’t miss. I am looking forward to helping set the course for customer-focused growth across all the IAG brands, now and for the future.”

IAG earlier this month announced the creation of a single Australian division, merging the formerly separate Consumer, Business, Operations and Satellite Divisions. Current chief operating officer (COO), Mark Milliner, will lead the newly merged division as CEO Australia.

Drasutis will join the IAG Customer Labs team in mid-October 2017 reporting to chief customer officer (COO), Julie Batch.