Independent specialist (re)insurer, Apollo Syndicate Management has appointed James Slaughter as group chief underwriting officer (CUO), effective 6 April 2021.
Slaughter will succeed Nick Burkinshaw, Apollo’s current CUO who has decided to retire. He will report to David Ibeson, group chief executive officer.
In his new role, Slaughter will lead Apollo’s underwriting teams and help the business to build the firm’s market leading innovation capabilities, focusing on leveraging the opportunities that data science and digital transformation bring to the Lloyd’s market.
Slaughter brings more than 23 years of (re)insurance industry experience and most recently served as CUO of Liberty Mutual’s Global Risks Solutions business unit, where he oversaw more than $17bn in gross written premium.
Prior to that, he held a number of senior positions across Liberty Mutal and Liberty Syndicate Management.
Ibeson said: “Apollo is now in an excellent place to begin the next phase of our strategic growth. For this, I would like to thank Nick, who has performed an exemplary role in driving our market-beating underwriting improvement over recent years. I wish him all the best in his retirement.
”James is a recognised market leader and we are very pleased he has agreed to join Apollo. As CUO, he will be instrumental in driving our future underwriting capability and innovation efforts as we look to expand existing and develop new capital partnerships to support our ambition.
“We are building partnerships, expanding our premium income and focusing on delivering exceptional returns, and I would like to welcome James to the team to consolidate these efforts and take our innovation agenda further.”
Slaughter said: “I am very pleased to be joining Apollo and excited to be working closely with David and the team. Apollo is well positioned to grow profitably in the coming years as it capitalises on favourable market conditions. I am therefore looking forward to contributing to Apollo’s innovative and expansive strategy as it enters the next stage of its growth.”
