Huw Evans, the UK's Association of British Insurers (ABI) director general, will leave his role at the end of the year to join KPMG.
The ABI said he would leave the organisation at the end of the year before taking up the partner role with KPMG in its insurance and long-term savings practice from January 2022. The ABI said it would start recruitment for a new director general shortly.
Evans has been ABI director general since February 2015. He joined the ABI in 2008 as operations director before becoming director of policy and deputy director general in 2013.
Evans said: "It's been a huge privilege to help lead the insurance and long-term savings sector but I am now in my seventh year as director general and it feels the right time to be preparing to move on. I'm really pleased to have the opportunity to stay in the sector and carry on helping it meet the fast-changing requirements of customers, regulators and our economy.
"Leading a trade association and driving modernisation is never easy and it has certainly not been a quiet term of office with Brexit, Solvency II implementation, pension freedoms, a pandemic and three general elections to help navigate among many other things. I've been blessed with a great ABI team and a group of industry leaders really committed to driving our sector forward and that is what has made the job worthwhile."
He added there was still plenty to do: "I look forward to focusing on Solvency II reform, improving customer outcomes, GI pricing and developing our climate change roadmap in my remaining seven months."
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ABI chair and Allianz Insurance chief executive Jon Dye said Evans had brought "restless determination" to drive the ABI and industry forward.
"He has played a critical role in helping our sector navigate a hugely turbulent decade and tackling seismic changes within the industry itself.
"His achievements are many and include negotiating and implementing Flood Re, overseeing consumer initiatives such as the voluntary codes for vulnerable customers, the Mental Health Standards, pensions language simplification and the Covid-19 customer pledges, as well as being a key supporter of the Women in Finance charter.
Karim Haji, partner and head of financial services at KPMG in the UK, said: "We have a thriving financial services practice that is committed to recruiting, retaining and building the best talent and most trusted in the industry. Huw's arrival is testament to that pledge - his experience, market knowledge and expertise from the insurance and banking industries will be instrumental in helping our clients to meet the greatest challenges and opportunities they face."
KPMG partner and head of insurance Simon Ranger added: "I've known Huw for many years - he's an incredibly well-respected figure, holds an impressive depth of industry knowledge and has had the formidable task of steering the insurance industry through monumental change over the past decade. We are thrilled to welcome a professional of such calibre to join our team at KPMG."
