A new year ahead and the new hires are whizzing into the IE Inbox. Here’s the latest;
ANTARES GLOBAL
Antares Global, the multinational group of insurance and related service companies, today announces the appointment of Kevin Wenzel as chief financial officer.
Wenzel will report to Antares Global CEO Mike van der Straaten and brings over 30 years of experience to his new role. He joins from Allianz where he served most recently as deputy CFO of Allianz Holdings PLC (UK). He also previously held several executive leadership roles at Allianz including chief actuary, and CFO of LV, the general insurance company Allianz acquired in 2018.
van der Straaten said: “It’s genuinely a pleasure to welcome Kevin Wenzel to Antares. Kevin has amassed deep expertise during his distinguished career, with a strong finance and actuarial background and having successfully implemented several data science solutions. His pragmatic commercial and solutions-orientated approach to driving business performance will be extremely valuable to Antares. This year will be a significant one for our business and we very much look forward to working with him to realise our strategic ambitions.”
LIBERTY SPECIALTY
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has appointed Andrew Jackson to the role of Global Head of Business Development and Market Management. He will report to Phil Hobbs, President and Managing Director, LSM, and sit on the executive team.
In his new role, Jackson will oversee the distribution of insurance solutions to LSM brokers and clients. He will develop and manage the execution of the global distribution strategy for LSM’s target markets around the world. Jackson brings more than 40 years of industry experience to the position and will provide invaluable insight and market intelligence as LSM continues to strengthen and develop new relationships with brokers and clients across global insurance markets.
Phil Hobbs said: “I am delighted to welcome Andrew to our leadership team. His vast, combined broking and underwriting experience will be an enormous asset to us as we build on our existing relationships with clients and brokers. We look forward to the significant contribution Andrew will make to delivering LSM’s goals in 2024 and beyond.”
GALLAGHER
Nepomuk Loesti (Nepo) has joined Gallagher as Chief Commercial Officer of its European broking operations.
The newly created role will support the expansion of Gallagher in Europe, outside of the UK, as the broker looks to build on its existing operations in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Turkey. Nepo will report into Alex Nagler, CEO of Europe, who joined in September last year, and he will play a key role in driving the growth strategy of Gallagher in the region overall, and work with the existing teams to explore further product and service opportunities.
Nepo joins Gallagher from AIG, where he spent the last 17 years in a variety of roles in Zurich, London, New York, Frankfurt and Munich. Most recently, he held the position of Head of Financial Lines for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to this, he was Head of Liabilities, Financial Lines and Client Engagement for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Nepo started his career in underwriting at Liberty Mutual Insurance Europe in 2004.
Commenting on his appointment, Nepo said: “I am very pleased to be joining Gallagher as it looks to expand its European presence. Having spent my entire career on the insurer side to date, the chance to move to a global broker like Gallagher with ambitious plans was an opportunity I couldn’t resist.
STAYSURE
Finn Walsh announced as Group CEO at Staysure. With Staysure poised to move into a new era of automation and digitisation, investing significantly in its Insurtech offerings, Walsh will be a key cornerstone in this transition.
Walsh previously Chief Customer and Technology Officer, joined the business in October 2022, having joined from Hastings Direct, where he was Digital and Marketing Director. With fifteen years’ experience in digital and e-commerce, Walsh brings a wide range of expertise from different industries in digital facing roles including The AA, Lloyds Banking Group and Tesco.
His proven track record of creating award winning customer journeys and transforming legacy financial services brands into modern technology powerhouses is an important part of Staysure Group’s priorities to meet ambitious growth targets.
With seven-year consecutive wins for best travel insurance provider at the British Travel Awards, Staysure group is already recognised by customers and peers for its expertise and digital transformation. As the business continues in this transitional phase, Walsh will be essential in overseeing the proposed changes to strategy and planning, while continuing to ensure excellent customer outcomes across the Group’s brands.
OBRA CAPITAL
Obra Capital, Inc. (“Obra”), an asset management firm with a specialized approach to alternative investing, today announced that Scott Macklin has been appointed Head of US Leveraged Finance. In this role, Macklin will be responsible for managing Obra’s CLO management platform, including driving investment strategy and portfolio construction, deal sourcing and execution, risk management and market research. Macklin will be based in New York and report to Peter Polanskyj, Head of Structured Credit.
Macklin brings over 27 years of experience to the firm. Most recently, Macklin served as Senior Vice President, Director of Leveraged Loans for AllianceBernstein, where he initiated, structured, and acted as the sole portfolio manager of the firm’s broadly syndicated loan (“BSL”) and CLO management business. Under Scott’s leadership, the BSL and CLO business was recognized for its market leadership across several key categories.
CJC LAW
International maritime law firm Campbell Johnston Clark (CJC) has announced that Helen McCormick and Andrew Shannon have become partners, promoting talent from within.
The promotions see McCormick, based in London, and Singapore-based Shannon expand the number of partners in CJC to 20. With offices in London, Newcastle, Singapore and Miami, CJC advises on all aspects of the shipping sector, from ship finance to dry shipping, marine insurance and comprehensive casualty handling. The firm is now regarded as one of the leading international maritime law practises.
McCormick, an experienced disputes lawyer specialising in ‘dry’ claims involving charterparties, cargo, shipbuilding contracts, ship sale and purchase, and offshore contracts, joined CJC on the acquisition of CTRL Marine Solutions in 2021.
“I am very happy to have been invited to join the partnership at CJC. It’s a great team and I’m proud to be part of it. Since joining with CTRL, I have found a niche here specialising in workboats and service vessels, as well as continuing my dry shipping work. I’m looking forward to playing a part in the future growth of CJC.”
Solicitor and Master Mariner Shannon specialises in Admiralty Law, advising on casualties, as well as the contractual disputes arising. He also has substantial experience of commercial and statutory issues surrounding ship management, crew, ISM, marine insurance and security.
OPTIO GROUP
Optio Group, the specialty MGA announces the appointment of Wael Mohsen as managing director of broking and general lines for Optio Re MENA Ltd. in Dubai. He joins with immediate effect and, reporting to CEO Optio Re and global head of A&H, Dr Ahmed Ramadan, he will focus on property & casualty, energy, construction, cyber and medical malpractice lines.
Joining on the eve of Optio Re’s one year anniversary, Emara brings close to three decades of industry experience across the Middle East, Africa and West Asia to the business. He joins from Ardonagh Specialty (formerly Ed Broking) where since 2014 he held the role of managing director, MENA. Prior to this he held several senior positions including executive vice president, sales & marketing, Orient Takaful Insurance Company and underwriting manager at Chubb Egypt Insurance Company.
Dr Ramadan said: “It is a testament to our success in the region that we are attracting talent of Wael’s calibre. Initially launching with a focus on A&H, his appointment signifies our expansion within the region. With his impressive market reputation, extensive distribution contacts throughout the MENA region, and having known him for years, I am confident he will be a fantastic addition to our growing team.”
MPHASIS
Mphasis (BSE: 526299; NSE: MPHASIS), an information technology (IT) solutions provider specializing in cloud and cognitive services, has announced a strategic reallocation of leadership responsibilities to accelerate growth across multiple vectors. Effective immediately, Ashish Devalekar will assume the role of Head of Europe while Anurag Bhatia, the current Head of Europe, will lead Mphasis’ Global Business Process Services business (BPS).
Ashish Devalekar, a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience in driving consistent growth in Europe across industry verticals, will be responsible for spearheading Mphasis’ Europe business. With a proven track record of transforming businesses into high growth units. Ashish brings a wealth of expertise in originating and closing large deals, building high-performing teams, and implementing effective Go-to-market (GTM) strategies.
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