Insurance People in the News
Willis appoints new head of international construction
Willis Towers Watson has appointed Martin Hiller as head of international construction, within its corporate risk and broking unit.
Mr Hiller will be responsible for client management, technical, placement and risk management specialists to support Willis Towers Watson construction clients in risk mitigation. He will be reporting to Alex Clayton, CEO of construction.
Mr Hiller joins Willis Towers Watson from JLT where he was previously a founding member and managing director of their construction team. He began his career in the UK construction team at Stewart Wrightson and has extensive experience across all aspects of the construction industry.
Hamilton appoints Barvé
Hamilton Insurance Group has appointed Nikhil Barvé as head of outwards reinsurance and underwriting supervision within the firm’s Lloyd’s operations.
Mr Barvé, who assumed his new position at the end of August, reports to Hamilton Underwriting CEO Dermot O’Donohoe and active underwriter and head of treaty Trevor Carvey.
Mr Barvé joins the company from Markel International where he most recently served as underwriting manager, wholesale. His responsibilities included the development and oversight of overseas platforms. He brings more than 30 years’ reinsurance experience to his new role, having most recently served as wholesale underwriting manager at Markel International where he was responsible for the development and oversight of overseas platforms.
During his long-spanning career, Mr Barvé has served as treaty underwriter at International General Insurance Company where he focussed on the creation of a London subsidiary, IGI UK.
From 2002 to 2007, he was based in Bermuda combining underwriting treaty business and outwards reinsurance placement and was also responsible for run-off management.
Prior to Bermuda, Mr Barvé was active in treaty reinsurance underwriting and ceded reinsurance in the Lloyd’s marketplace.
AXIS bolsters renewable energy business with Aspen hire
AXIS Insurance, a business segment of Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings, has appointed Christina Tom as vice president, renewable energy underwriter.
Ms Tom joins AXIS Insurance’s global renewable energy team, where she will be responsible for leading its US West Coast business, underwriting wind, solar and energy storage risks.
Based in the company’s San Francisco office, Ms Tom will report to Tom Cain, vice president and head of US renewable energy.
Ms Tom joins AXIS with nearly 15 years of insurance industry experience. For the last five years, she was vice president, inland marine, at Aspen Insurance, where she helped launch and grow the company’s San Francisco office. Prior to Aspen, she was a senior underwriter in both inland marine and commercial insurance, focusing on the West Coast and Pacific Northwest regions for OneBeacon.
She began her specialty insurance career in 2003 as a commercial insurance underwriter at Chubb.
Kroll appoints cyber security expert
Risk firm Kroll has appointed Iona Peters as associate managing director of its cyber security and investigations practice in London.
Mr Peters joins the company following a 20-year career designing IT solutions to help businesses, government and law enforcement agencies manage risk.
During his career, Mr Peters has worked for the UK government, consulting on intellectual property in the UK and abroad.
Chubb hires underwriters for its APAC cyber team
Insurer Chubb has made two appointments for its regional cyber team in Asia Pacific.
Andrew Taylor has assumed the position of cyber underwriting manager for Asia Pacific, responsible for the expansion of Chubb’s Cyber insurance business in the region. Based in Sydney, he will lead efforts to craft solutions and deliver expertise to help clients manage and mitigate cyber risks.
Mr Taylor joined Chubb in 2009 in the information and technology team and started underwriting cyber risks in 2010. He has previously held senior underwriting and portfolio management positions in specialty lines, specifically in professional indemnity, technology errors & omissions, media liability and cyber products.
John Depicters has been appointed as cyber underwriter for Asia Pacific. He is tasked with supporting Mr Taylor to drive the growth of Chubb’s Cyber insurance business, including underwriting, marketing, training, product development, and vendor expansion, across the region.
Mr Depicters relocated from San Francisco to Singapore to assume his new position. Prior to this, he was an executive underwriter in the Chubb North America financial lines division, responsible for cyber and technology errors & omissions underwriting in the US Pacific Northwest territory including Silicon Valley.
Both gentlemen will report to Stanley Wong, head of financial lines for Asia Pacific.
Liberty hires AIG underwriter for new European role
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has appointed Marnix de Kievit to the newly-created role of senior underwriter professional indemnity for the Netherlands.
Mr Kievit joins LSM from AIG where he was a professional liability and cyber underwriter for over four years. Prior to this, he was with Schouten Insurance International, a Netherlands-based professional indemnity cover holder.
Based in The Hague, Mr Kievit will report to Rob Groeten, country manager for Netherlands.
He will work alongside Jeroen Kisters on the sustainable growth of the professional indemnity book of business and cyber insurances.
New international head of underwriting at Mapfre Global Risks
Carlos Vasquez has been appointed as international head of underwriting at Mapfre Global Risks, the Mapfre unit which specialises in providing comprehensive insurance solutions for multinationals.
He will be based in London.
Donegan steps down as Price Forbes CEO as Masterton steps up
The Ardonagh Group announced on the 29th August that it has appointed Michael Donegan as Strategic Adviser.
Michael will step away from the day-to-day operations of Price Forbes, where he has been CEO since 2004.
The Group today also announced the appointment of James Masterton as CEO of Price Forbes & Partners Ltd and also his appointment to the Price Forbes Holdings Board, with immediate effect and subject to regulatory approval.
James Masterton is currently Chairman of the Non-Marine team at Price Forbes and has over 25 years’ experience in the insurance market.
The Ardonagh Group consists of Autonet, Chase Templeton, Direct Group, Price Forbes and Towergate, harnessing market leading positions spanning the breadth of UK general insurance with a global reach.
Fidelis underwriter joins Liberty Specialty Markets in London
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM) has appointed Jennifer Wilson as an underwriter in its global financial risks team in London.
Ms Wilson will report to Huw Owen, head of London markets financial risks, and will have a general underwriting role across all parts of LSM’s global financial risks product line.
Ms Wilson joins LSM from Fidelis, where she was an underwriter focusing on political and credit trade risks. Prior to Fidelis, she was at XL Catlin for four years as an underwriter for its political risk and credit team in London.