Cowbell, a cyber and specialty insurance provider focused on small and medium-sized enterprises, has officially entered the Australian market and introduced Prime One, with policies written on Zurich Australian Insurance Ltd paper.
The insurer has appointed industry veterans Anthony Wall and Alric Lal to lead the expansion. The programme is a standalone cyber insurance policy for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with an annual turnover of up to AUD 100 million.
The coverage is backed by Zurich’s financial strength and local presence, coupled with Cowbell’s AI-powered underwriting platform, in-house claims capabilities, and comprehensive resiliency services.
The policy aims to be quoted, bound, and issued in less than 5 minutes, and is available through licensed insurance brokers.
The insurer explained that in a multi-year, fully delegated, exclusive collaboration with Zurich, it offers Prime One, straightforward, modern cyber cover with limits up to AUD 5 million, including any one claim (AOC), aligned with how Australian businesses operate.
Every policy includes access to Cowbell’s full ecosystem of resilience tools and insights, designed to help businesses strengthen defences in case an incident occurs.
Wall was appointed Head of Underwriting and has deep cyber expertise. Most recently, he served at AIG as Cyber Practice Lead, and has held senior cyber underwriting roles at Munich Re and Chubb in the past. Earlier in his career, Wall spent nearly a decade at Liberty International Underwriters in Australia and the United States, and more than six years at Aon.
Meanwhile, Lal has been appointed as Head of Business Development for Australia. He has two decades of corporate broking & financial lines expertise, and has previously served as Head of Broking for UBT in Sydney. Lal held senior broking roles at Marsh in Auckland and Aon London earlier in his career.
Jack Kudale, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Cowbell, commented, “Cyber protection shouldn’t be complicated; it should give businesses confidence to keep moving. By partnering with Zurich, we’re offering Australian organisations a dependable foundation for cyber resilience, supported by Cowbell’s continuous underwriting, risk intelligence, and proven track record in managing cyber risk.”
Simon Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer, Cowbell, added, “With standalone cyber cover reaching only 20% of Australian SMEs, brokers are looking for clarity they can trust and support that helps them reach the other 80%. Prime One delivers that clarity and coverage that’s easy to explain, backed by the quiet, steady confidence Cowbell brings to every global market we serve.”
