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EC News (30 July 2020)

  • Publish Date: Posted over 3 years ago
  • Author:by Alan Jarque

Round-up of the weekly news and developments from the global (re)insurance market with stories from Guy Carpenter, Oneglobal, AXA XL and more.

Andrea Piatti joins Guy Carpenter as managing director within its GRS unit

Guy Carpenter, the reinsurance division of broker Marsh, has appointed Andrea Piatti as a managing director within its Global Risk Solutions unit, effective 3 August 2020.

In his new role, he will be based in Zurich and work closely with the firm’s broking and analytics teams across the Europe and MENA region and report to Frank Achtert, head of strategic advisory, EMEA, and Ronnie Carroll, managing director, Global Risk Solutions.

Piatti brings over two decades of reinsurance market experience to the role. Prior to joining Guy Carpenter, he served as head of European M&A at Armour Risk Management Ltd. Before that, he held senior positions at MS Amlin, Amlin Re Europe and Partner Re.

Ed Hochberg, head of Global Risk Solutions, said: “Andrea is a fantastic addition to our team as his experience and specialist market knowledge will help us to expand further the bandwidth of our Global Risk Solutions capabilities in Europe,”

“We are seeing much greater demand for customized reinsurance products across Europe and MENA, and by combining Guy Carpenter’s expansive broking and analytical expertise we can ensure the delivery of the precisely tailored solutions that clients demand.”

Oneglobal names Alan Grant as non-executive director

Specialist independent Lloyd’s broker Oneglobal Broking (formerly SSL Endeavour) has announced the appointment of Alan Grant as non-executive director.

The firm states the appointment will further strengthen Oneglobal’s board as it steers the growth of the business.

Grant brings a wealth of knowledge having had a distinguished career across the industry. Latterly he was chairman of Dual International Ltd, having previously been CEO of Scor UK and active underwriter of Syndicate 991 at Lloyd’s. He is currently a non-executive director at Argenta Syndicate Management Ltd and at Thomas Miller Holdings Ltd.

Jonathan Palmer-Brown, chairman of Oneglobal commented: “I am pleased we have attracted a Non-Executive of Alan’s calibre and experience to Oneglobal. In an impressive insurance career, Alan has been successful in a variety of underwriting environments. His sector knowledge, to which he has added non-executive responsibility, offers exactly the mix of expertise we need as we drive our ambitious business forward and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Grant added: “I’ve been impressed by Oneglobal’s commitment to put clients at the heart of what it does. This philosophy will mark the business out in the broking community and ensure that as it grows, Oneglobal does so in a sustainable way, focused on the people it works for and the people it employs. This is an environment I will be proud to be part of.”

AXA XL announces new leadership team for UK & Lloyd’s market

AXA XL, the reinsurance division of AXA has announced the reshuffle of its leadership team for its UK and Lloyd’s region, effective immediately.

AXA XL stated that the appointments are part of the proposed changes for a new operating model that would see the establishment of a single global insurance underwriting function and three geographical business units.

This included the creation of the UK & Lloyd’s market unit where Sean McGovern was appointed CEO.

AXA XL has announced the client-facing leadership team for this division, which includes the appointment of Elie Hanna as chief distribution office, UK & Lloyd’s. In this role, he will be responsible for developing and leading the execution of the firm’s “go to” market, trading and external marketing and communication strategies.

Hanna brings extensive insurance industry experience, having spent more than a decade at AIG underwriting, country management and senior distribution roles in London and across the Middle East.

He joined AXA in 2016 where he worked as global head of mid-market and broker engagement. Most recently, he served as global head of broker management at AXA XL.

Luis Prato has been appointed as chief underwriting officer (CUO), UK & Lloyd’s. Prato will be tasked with defining the underwriting strategy and risk appetite for the business unit in conjunction with the global chief underwriting officer. He joined AXA XL (then Catlin) in 2008 as head of downstream energy UK & Ireland. In 2016 he was promoted to head of UK energy and regional product leader for UK & Ireland, before being promoted to CUO for the UK region and legal entities in September 2019.

Additionally, Martin Tuner has been named as chief claims officer, UK & Lloyd’s. In this role, he will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the claims handling teams, including overseeing technical expertise and local market knowledge in the region. Turner joined AXA XL formerly (Brockbank Syndicate Management) in 1988, where he has remained through numerous merger and acquisitions. He has held several senior positions during his tenure, most recently he was head of UK and global specialty claims.

McGovern commented: “I am pleased to announce the new Leadership Team for the UK & Lloyd’s region. This is the latest step in our journey to optimise our structure by striking the right balance between local and global, in order to ensure we serve our clients and brokers to the best of our ability.

“This Leadership Team is filled with highly experienced individuals who I’m confident will help to ensure we are the insurance partner of choice in this important region.”

Swiss Re appoints Carlo Bewersdorf as CEO of iptiQ

Global reinsurer, Swiss Re has appointed Carlo Bewersdorf to the newly created role of chief executive officer of iptiQ, the company’s digital insurance platform, effective 1 October 2020.

Based in Munich, he will report to Christian Mumenthaler, CEO and will focus on driving Swiss Re’s ambition to protect more people and their families by making insurance more accessible and engaging. He will be responsible for further developing a business model and develop strong partnerships to sell insurance through trusted brands.

The reinsurer explains that at the heart of this effort is the push to dovetail its expertise with the smart use of data and technology to develop no-fuss, scalable digital insurance products.

Bewersdorf is a very experienced digital sales executive and brings extensive knowledge of both B2B and B2C strategies. He joins the business from Hannoversche Lebensversicherung AG, where he was a member of the Board.

He previously served as global head of digital at Allianz SE, Munich, where he started a number of new go-to-market strategy projects, for instance in Korea and China, and also developed and launched new strategic approaches to boost venture capital investment capabilities.

Mumenthaler said: “Carlo is a passionate and visionary leader with a proven track record in digital insurance innovation. He is steeped in the world of insurtech and has successfully built, deployed and sustained many digital platforms. We are very pleased to welcome him to Swiss Re.”

Clive Buesnel named CEO at Tysers

Global wholesale London-based insurance broker, Tysers has named Clive Buesnel as its next chief executive officer, subject to regulatory approval.

Based in London, he will join an executive team with 1,100 employees, including both Tysers and RFIB, operating in over 10 regions globally with a focus on delivering creative insurance products for clients with complex specialty risks.

Buesnel has spent most of his career in operational and strategic roles in the UK and global insurance markets, most recently serving as senior partner, vice chairman and UK head of insurance at Deloitte.

Prior to that, he spent 10 years at Xchanging, where he was a founding member and executive director of the insurance operation.

Commenting on his new role, Buesnel said: “This is a really interesting time in the global insurance industry, especially in the London Market with the current market dynamics and the change we will see over the next few years. Tysers is a unique platform that is well-positioned to take advantage of these dynamics in London and internationally.

“As a truly independent broker with a 200-year legacy, entrepreneurial culture and deep long-term client relationships, it is a beacon for talented insurance professionals who share a passion for delivering solutions for clients in partnership with the markets. Furthermore, through its history of executing and integrating highly strategic and complementary acquisitions, Tysers has significant scale and resources to deliver the combination of capabilities necessary to win into the future – leveraging the excellent core broking capabilities and relationships of today and developing complimentary data and digital capabilities.

Adding: “I am truly excited by the opportunity to work in partnership with the great team at Tysers to help shape and grow the business and continue to deliver a truly differentiated offer to clients.”

Jason Collins, co-head of Global Broking at Tysers, commented: “We are very excited to partner with Clive to accelerate the growth and transformation of Tysers. Through his deep knowledge of the market, strategic view of the insurance and broking landscape, a track record of business leadership and delivering change, Clive is uniquely well-suited to lead the Company through its next phases of growth.”

David Abraham, co-head of Global Broking at Tysers, said: “Clive shares a common passion for our independent, entrepreneurial culture and clearly recognises the significant opportunity ahead.”

Lockton Re appoints Graham Barden as chairman of Aviation & Aerospace

Lockton Re, the global reinsurance business of insurance broker Lockton, has announced the appointment of Graham Barden as chair of Aviation & Aerospace in London, joining early next year.

Barden was most recently part of the Aviation team at Guy Carpenter having joined as part of the MMC acquisition of JLT in 2019.

Prior that that, he was a managing director of Lockton Aviation, having joined Lockton through the acquisition of Alexander Forbes in 2006, where he was managing director of Aviation.  

Keith Harrison, CEO International, Lockton Re, said: “As we continue to build our Specialty capability, we are delighted to welcome Graham to our global team of nearly 140 colleagues. He has an excellent market reputation with 40 years of experience in the Aviation market working in both reinsurance and insurance. It is important that our Specialty offering has both depth of experience as well as breadth of market knowledge in key areas to support the growing needs of our clients. Graham was very excited by how we are combining deep expertise with technology to enhance and support client results and relationships.”

Adding: “Graham shares the Lockton Re commitment to exceptional client service and is a great fit for our culture and our clients. We look forward to adding Graham to our Specialty capability and welcoming him to the team early next year.”