Job Moves and Senior Appointments Round-Up 09.10.2023

Time once again for those essential job moves and senior hires, here goes;

ROKSTONE

Rokstone, the Aventum Group’s international (Re)insurance MGA, has appointed Jordan Lanford as Global Head of Aviation, based in Atlanta.

Jordan joins Rokstone later this month after serving his notice with AIG where he was Head of Aerospace for North America.  With more than 20 years’ experience of Aviation, Jordan spent 17 years at AIG and began his career as a commercial pilot and flight instructor.  At Rokstone Jordan will grow the global aviation team and portfolio, initially focussing on North America and developing the MGA’s existing portfolio in the Middle East.  Rokstone plans to further invest in building out the aviation team with respected aviation professionals and technology solutions to enhance the trading experience.

GALLAGHER RE

Global reinsurance broker Gallagher Re has this week welcomed Jonathan Allard as Managing Director and Head of its newly created Global Credit & Political Risk team, based in London.

In this new global role, Jonathan will bring together the experienced, specialist London market and international teams and be responsible for leading and developing Gallagher Re’s global product offering across credit and political risk, enabling clients to access both treaty and facultative solutions. He will also partner with Jim Latorre who leads the distinct North American Surety team to develop the surety arena across the world.

Jonathan joins from Renaissance Re where he was Vice President of Underwriting responsible for the management and underwriting of credit, surety and political risk reinsurance as well as structured credit portfolio accounts on European and Lloyd’s balance sheets. Prior to this, Jonathan spent 10 years broking credit, surety and political risk at Willis Re.

FIDUCIA

Specialty insurance managing general agent (MGA) Fiducia continues expansion with the appointment  of a senior development underwriter to grow its marine cargo team and meet rising demand from brokers and clients.

Brian Laflin joins the Leeds-based MGA from Lonham Group where he was senior underwriter writing for both Chaucer syndicate and company. He has previously held senior underwriting and development roles with Marsh and AON MGA’s including Victor Insurance and International Transport & Maritime Underwriters.

Commenting on his appointment, Brian said: “Fiducia has established a formidable reputation in a short space of time built on its client-first approach, high service ethic and competitive pricing. The company’s high standing within the UK MGA market was a key to my deciding to join Fiducia. I am looking forward to actively supporting clients and brokers on their marine cargo product requirements whilst also building new relationships.”

Welcoming Brian to the company, Fiducia CEO, Gerry Sheehy, said: “Brian has a strong all round skillset in technical underwriting, business development and account management. He is a terrific addition to the business and will enable our marine cargo team to meet the growing demand we are experiencing from clients and brokers.

COGENT HIRE/HANDL

Cogent Hire, the credit hire and mobility specialist which is part of insurance and legal services business handl Group, has appointed experienced insurance and auto executive Luke LeSauteur to the new role of commercial director. Luke began his new role at the beginning of October, and reports to Cogent Hire CEO Kirsty McKno as part of the executive team.

Luke joins fast growing, Lancashire-based Cogent Hire with a brief to build and launch new propositions for insurance clients, especially in emerging mobility sectors such as EV.

He has held senior positions at credit hire businesses Enterprise and Auxilis, and prior to joining Cogent Hire, founded CRV (ChargedRV Ltd) to explore EV mobility solutions in the motor claims arena.

ASCOT GROUP

Ascot Group Limited, the Bermuda-based global specialty insurance company, has announced the hiring of Mark Wilcox as its new Group Chief Financial Officer, reporting to Group CEO and President Jonathan Zaffino, effective November 8, 2023.

Mark Wilcox

“I am thrilled to welcome Mark to the Ascot family. Mark’s unique and diverse experiences, along with his undisputed track record of success, will help accelerate Ascot’s strategic pursuits and ambitions,” said Jonathan Zaffino. “As we continue to expand our organization globally, across both the specialty insurance and reinsurance segments, Mark’s proven financial acumen will be a significant addition to our leadership team, our colleagues and our valued clients.”

Mark joins Ascot from Selective Insurance Group, Inc. (“Selective”), where he led the firm’s global finance operations and capital management strategy, as well as accounting, treasury, investor relations, internal audit, investments, reinsurance, enterprise risk management, procurement, contracts, and tax, in his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. During his almost seven years at Selective, Mark oversaw the modernization of the firm’s financial reporting process. He partnered with executives across the global finance team, working closely with the board and external constituencies to help drive significant shareholder value.

EARNIX

 Earnix, the global provider of intelligent, modular, SaaS solutions for insurers and banks, today announced that Be’eri Mart has been appointed to Chief Product Officer at Earnix.

A 20-year veteran of the financial services industry, Be’eri has extensive experience developing and leading product management teams, with an eye toward intelligent innovation. He served as Vice President, General Manager Fraud Line of Business at NICE Actimize and has many years of product experience as he has held multiple leadership roles in sales, product design and R&D over the course of his career.

“Be’eri is well-suited to lead product strategy at Earnix. His extensive experience connecting AI innovation with financial services market needs put him in good stead as customer demands become even more sophisticated,” Robin Gilthorpe, Chief Executive Officer, Earnix, said. “This move ensures our customers will have the solutions they need today and in the future.”

DSP INTERNATIONAL

 DSP International UK Limited announced the appointment of Vaishak Swamy as Managing Director & Head of Europe and Americas. In his new role, Vaishak will be responsible for growing DSP’s business across Europe & the Americas and strengthening DSP’s relationships with existing international investors.

Vaishak has two decades of experience in the investment management industry, with a proven track record of successfully raising long-term assets from global investors. In his past role as Chief Executive Officer of Kotak Mahindra (UK) Limited, he was a driving force for their international business and was a purposeful advocate of the firm’s ESG efforts. Previously, he has worked with ICICI Bank in India and UK.

“Vaishak brings with him a wealth of knowledge and expertise in international investment management, which would be instrumental in strengthening and growing our business across Europe and the Americas. I am confident that Vaishak’s strategic vision along with his ability to connect with institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds and family offices would provide a huge impetus to drive DSP’s global success,” says Kalpen Parekh, MD & CEO, DSP Asset Managers. 

ESG BOOK

ESG Book recently announced the appointment of John Wise as the company’s first Chair of the Board. The move is the latest part of ESG Book’s rapid global expansion as the company responds to fast-growing demand for technology-based sustainability data solutions.

Wise joins from InvestCloud, the world’s leading SaaS-based global wealth platforms provider, which he co-founded and grew into a business with over 550 direct clients and more than $6 trillion in assets on platform in just over 10 years.

Following the company’s $35 million Series B in 2022, ESG Book is transforming the financial industry’s approach to ESG data through the world’s largest sustainability disclosure platform. Wise will lead ESG Book’s board of global investors to help scale the company’s growth in a burgeoning $5 billion market.

PIB GROUP

PIB Group Ltd (‘PIB’) has announced the appointment of Zach Gray as CEO for the Specialty Division, with Steve Redgwell taking on the role of Chair. Joining PIB six years ago, Zach has held several roles within the Division including Account Director, Regional Managing Director, Managing Director of Specialisms, and Deputy CEO for the Specialty Division. Zach joined PIB when the Group acquired DE Ford in York.

Zach and Steve will continue to work closely together and with the Specialty team to continue to develop our client proposition both in the UK and in partnership with colleagues across the growing EU team.

Steve Redgwell, Specialty Division Chair at PIB Group, commented:“Since joining us six years ago, Zach has gained invaluable experience across the business and played a key part in our success and developing the culture within our Specialty division.

“I’m delighted to be passing the baton onto Zach and feel very excited for what the future will hold for the Specialty Division under his leadership.”

LOCKTON

Lockton announces the appointment of Philip Hewer as Risk Engineer. He takes up his new role with immediate effect, further enhancing the level of technical risk understanding and direct industry experience provided by Lockton Global Energy.

Philip’s experience in the Oil and Gas industry spans more than four decades and covers power generation, downstream refining, upstream production and LNG plants. He joins from Marsh where he served as a Risk Engineer and Vice President in the energy division. Prior to this, he worked at BP Upstream for five years, most recently as an Instrument and Protective System Discipline Engineer. He has also been a Senior Engineer at CB&I London and held various roles at BP and Shell.

Philip is a Chartered Engineer with the Institute of Engineers and Technology, a Freeman of the City of London and affiliated with the Worshipful Company of Engineers.

Lockton also announces the appointment of Tom Rowley as the Europe division’s new Head of North American Property, based in London.

CLYDE AND CO

Global law firm, Clyde & Co has announced the appointment of property and liability specialist Paul Annesley as a partner in its Manchester office.

Paul joins the firm from Keoghs where he has worked as a partner since 2020, specialising in defended liability, policy coverage and subrogated recoveries on behalf of a number of the UK’s largest insurers. Previously he was a Legal Director at Clyde & Co between 2015 to 2020. Clyde & Co’s property damage team is highly respected within the market, offering vast experience advising some of the UK’s foremost insurance companies and specialist Lloyd’s underwriters on all types of damage claims.

KENNEDYS 

Global law firm Kennedys has appointed a senior insurance sector lawyer to its Paris office as it seeks to grow its regulatory and compliance offering across Europe. Safine Hadri joins as partner from DS Avocats, where she was head of insurance since 2015.

Safine will be based in Paris but will work closely with colleagues across Europe, focusing her work across insurance contract law, regulatory and compliance work and claims. She has a specific interest in compliance issues and working with clients in the integration of new regulatory developments into their marketing processes. A lawyer since 2008, Safine previously worked for Savin Martinet Associés, and teaches at the Insurance Institute of Paris.

Safine’s experience will dovetail with Kennedys leading insurance presence allowing the firm to now offer complete regulatory and compliance services from the Paris office to not only the French market, but also across Europe.

POP HOLDINGS

Pop Group Holdings (“POP”), a leading investor in M&A and specialist, data and technology-enabled insurance businesses, today announces the appointment of Shannon Murphy as group chief information officer.

As Group CIO, Murphy will spearhead all aspects of POP’s digital strategy, including technology operations, information security, engineering, and service management across POP’s global brands Fusion Specialty and io.insure. He will also lead the platform development and delivery of io.insure, the world’s first M&A and specialty insurance online marketplace under POP. This includes oversight of next generation product and service offerings such as Mio™, which has just launched in New Zealand in August, following successful rollouts in ANZ, the United States, and the United Kingdom. There are plans to expand Mio™ to other countries later this year and in 2024.

Based in Singapore, Murphy has three decades of experience fronting technology roles in the insurance industry, having served as the chief technology officer for large insurers such as ING, AIG, and AXIS in Asia Pacific. Murphy’s expertise is rooted in data strategy, automation, DevOps and IT architecture strategy. He was formerly the head of technology at Amazon Web Services, where he developed cloud strategies for Singapore enterprises.

AVENTUM

Aventum, the fast growing International (Re)Insurance Group, has appointed Hasani Jess as the Group’s first Chief Technology Officer as it builds a sophisticated technology ecosystem to enable its sustainable growth ambitions.  Aventum plans to set a new standard for what’s possible with impactful digital transformation in the insurance industry.

Hasani has 25 years‘ experience as a technologist across a wide range of industries.  He joins Aventum from Simply Business where he was CTO for the last five years.  His vision is for Aventum to be recognised not only for insurance excellence, but also for a technology-first approach that differentiates the broker, underwriter, and client experience.  Hasani’s background includes roles at major blue chip enterprises including TUI, Harrods, Deutche Bank, UBS, IBM and Visa – all of which place him a unique position to drive truly impactful transformation with both speed and scale. 

Within 12-24 months Hasani aims to build a 70 strong team and deliver a flagship insurance platform, including market-leading broker and underwriter workbenches.  This will turbo charge Aventum and its individual brands’, ability to grow through the development of new capabilities and data-driven decisions that not only tackle the challenges of today’s changing insurance landscape but deliver a vision of what is possible in the future.

reTHOUGHT FLOOD

reThought Flood, the technology-centric underwriting agency focused on US commercial and residential flood risks, has promoted Catherine Myers to the new position of Chief Operating Officer. In her expanded role, she will continue to oversee reThought’s technology development team, and take on additional responsibilities including high-level management of operational areas such as sales, marketing, and HR.

Her overall task is to ensure reThought Flood’s aggressive growth strategy is implemented efficiently.

Myers joined reThought in December 2022 as Engineering Manager. For nearly 30 years she has worked primarily as a technology-project consultant, assisting organizations including RBC Wealth Management, Perficient, Be The Match, CAPITA, Hollstadt & Associates, Allina Hospitals & Clinics, United Health, and Deloitte. She began her career as a programmer at Ecolab, Inc.