FARMINGTON, CT--(Marketwire - Nov 15, 2011) - [ The Innovation Group plc ] ("Innovation Group" or "The Group"), a global provider of business process outsourcing (BPO) and software solutions to the insurance, fleet, automotive and property industries, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Paulenko to the position of vice president of Innovation Group's policy practice for Insurer Policy in North America.

"Michael's knowledge and experience with policy will provide increased focus on Insurer Policy that will benefit our current customers and those that come on board with Innovation Group in the future," said Euan King, CEO North America Software for Innovation Group. "His in-depth understanding of policy management further strengthens our sales team to respond to the strong market interest in Insurer Policy."

Paulenko brings considerable expertise in property and casualty (P&C) insurance and technology to this new position at Innovation Group. Most recently, Paulenko spent seven years with Guidewire as an insurance industry solutions architect and was a key contributor to the company's growth in claims and policy. Prior to Guidewire, Paulenko honed his skills with a wide variety of platforms as a business domain architect for claims and suite common services for Castek. In addition, Paulenko operated TANNIN Technologies Ltd., and completed many successful projects, such as a claims front-end and a BOP online system for Columbia Insurance Group. Paulenko's work with Columbia helped that company gain project recognition from A.M. Best and IASA as well.

"Throughout my career, I have tried to focus on the nexxus where technology, business and people connect," said Paulenko. "At Innovation Group, I hope to build a strong relationship between Insurer Policy and the clients the product supports."

In his new position, Paulenko will oversee the assessment of customer-specific business drivers, policy demos and sales support for Insurer Policy. He will provide a robust business value-driven focus for the team focused on Insurer Policy, a key component of the Innovation Insurer solution and recently recognized by Celent with four XCelent awards.

About The Innovation Group plc:
The Innovation Group plc (LSE: TIG.L) is a global provider of business process outsourcing and software solutions to the insurance, fleet, automotive and property industries. Innovation Group provides contact centres, repair networks, process management, supply chain and technology operations and decision support analytics to support accident management, repair and estimation and claims management services. Innovation Group has over 800 global clients including AXA Insurance, RSA, Encompass, Esurance, Hertz, CNA, Main Street America Group, American Modern Insurance Group, LeasePlan, The Ford Motor Company, Aviva, Toyota and Zurich. The Group processes more than 4 million claims per year with 20 per cent direct claims cost saving achieved. Innovation Group's 2,300 people are located in the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain and United States. [ www.innovation-group.com ]