Job Moves & Appointments 15.04.2024

Gillian Davidson, Chair of Global Insurance Law Connect and Partner at Sparke Helmore, commented: “Sayenko Kharenko is a prominent Ukrainian law firm with extensive expertise in insurance. Their membership enables the network to grow its presence across Eastern Europe and provide clients with comprehensive support in the region and beyond. On behalf of GILC, I am delighted to welcome Sayenko Kharenko to the network.”

CARBON UNDERWRITING

Carbon Underwriting Limited (Carbon) the specialist, independent managing general underwriter and Lloyd’s syndicate CBN 4747, is delighted to announce the appointment of Rob Crocker as Active Underwriter, effective April 2024.

Previously Active Underwriter & Head of Professional Lines at Everest Re, and having also held senior underwriting roles with XL Catlin and W. R. Berkley Europe among others in a career spanning over 30 years, Rob is a proven expert in professional lines underwriting and brings leadership, insight and dynamism to his new role.

Subject to regulatory approval, Rob will work closely with Carbon’s existing Underwriting management team – Founder and CEO Nick Tye; Carbon Founder and Chief Underwriting Officer Jacqui Ferrier; and Carbon Founder and Chief Technology Officer Ben Laidlaw.

AVIVA FINANCIAL LINES MAKES SEVERAL HIRES

Aviva’s Financial Lines team has been strengthened with a raft of new hires – and plans for more to come.

Heading up the department is Ramesh Singh, who joined Aviva as Underwriting Director, Financial Lines in December. Ramesh brings 25 years’ experience of corporate experience from around the world, across a number of international carriers including Chubb, AIG, AXA XL and CNA Hardy.

Strengthening the Financial Lines team

Ramesh Singh will continue building on other recent senior Aviva hires, including Daisy Laskey as Head of Management Liability. Richard Belsey will join Aviva as Head of M&A Underwriting this summer. Richard brings 20 years’ professional experience as a corporate lawyer, M&A insurance underwriter and M&A insurance broker, most recently as Head of Real Estate Transactional Risk at Lockton.

In addition, Samantha Shean will join Aviva as Head of Financial Institutions (FI). Sam is a well-known, experienced figure in the market, having built a career spanning 25 years as a specialist in Financial Institutions. She joins Aviva after 12 years at Axis Capital, where she most recently served as Head of Financial Institutions.

Patrick Waters joins Aviva as Underwriting Manager for FI in June, reporting to Samantha Shean. Patrick has over 12 years’ experience in the insurance industry, originating with financial lines claims handling with Chubb and Canopius. He then moved to CNA Hardy and into FI underwriting where he currently holds the status of Senior Technical Underwriter.

Felix Cofie will join Aviva in July, as Underwriting Manager in the Professional Indemnity (PI) team. Felix joins Aviva from Aspen and brings 15 years of PI underwriting experience from a range of Lloyds and company markets. In his role as Underwriting Manager, Felix will assist in the development and implementation of our underwriting strategy, as well as working with brokers to build new and existing business.

Expansion into Scotland

Aviva’s specialist Financial Lines team is extending into Scotland, as the insurer invests into building a new Financial Lines Underwriting team in Glasgow. David Jenkins joined Aviva in January as Senior Financial Lines Underwriter for Scotland and brings over 20 years’ experience. He joins Financial Lines Underwriter Luisa O’Donnell, who joined Aviva in late 2023. Plans are in place to recruit further into this team as Aviva continues to invest into Financial Lines in Scotland, one of the insurer’s key growth areas.

Duncan Goddard also joined in December as Senior Financial Lines Underwriter for the South & Greater London. Duncan brings more than 20 years’ experience as an underwriter in the insurance industry, and will sit in Aviva’s Regional Financial Lines Team, focusing on large corporate and complex business.

David and Duncan are aligned to the Regional Financial Lines team and report into Regional Head of Financial Lines, Alison Caine.

PREVISICO

 Previsico, the live flood forecasting Insurtech, bolsters its leadership team with the appointment of Aleksander Surowiak as Head of Sales to supercharge Previsico’s growth and nurture pivotal partnerships within the insurance sector. Aleksander brings extensive startup scaling experience having spearheaded sales in Northern and Central Europe at Tractable AI, playing a pivotal role in the company’s meteoric rise from a fledging startup to the UK’s 100^th unicorn.

Aleksander, who brings many years of experience working within a rapid start-up environment, will be charged with scaling the go-to-market function while nurturing key partner relationships. He will define and execute an updated sales strategy and implement structures, systems, and processes to enable Previsico to achieve its ambitious growth plan.

ARYZA

Aryza Group, a leading provider of financial software solutions, announces the appointment of Kevin O’Neill as its Chief Revenue Officer. 

With an extensive background spanning over two decades in business development, Kevin joins Aryza from Napier Ai, where he served as Chief Revenue Officer, driving the company’s business growth plans. Previously, he has held senior roles at Fenergo and RBC, bringing a wealth of expertise to Aryza’s team. O’Neill’s career also includes notable positions at BNY Mellon and Bank of Ireland Asset Management. 

In his new capacity as Chief Revenue Officer at Aryza, Kevin will be tasked with fortifying the company’s Go-to-Market function and team, bringing Aryza to the next stage of its development and driving it to the forefront of Credit and Debt lifecycle management software providers. He aims to cultivate a high-performing sales culture, expand the Aryza customer base, develop innovative solutions and deliver exceptional customer experiences. 

NOVIDEA

Novidea, creator of the cloud-based, data-driven enterprise insurance management platform for brokers, agents, MGAs/MGUs, carriers, and wholesalers, has added Jeff Heine as chief revenue officer (CRO). Heine will be instrumental in driving global revenue and further aligning Novidea’s sales, marketing, and other revenue-focused functions to achieve the company’s business and growth objectives.

Heine brings 20 years of Property and Casualty (P&C) insurance industry expertise to the role. Most recently, he served as CRO at Betterview, a remote property intelligence platform that turns data into actionable insights for P&C insurance carriers (acquired by Nearmap). Before that, Heine was CRO at Groundspeed Analytics, an AI-powered ingestion and data solution for the commercial P&C industry (acquired by Insurance Quantified). Heine has other related experience including Guidewire Software and Adsensa (now Coupa Software).

QBE

Aidan Quinn has been appointed to the role of Head of Commercial Underwriting, Trade Credit.

He joins the European business from QBE’s Australian division, where he held the role of Head of Commercial Underwriting based in Melbourne.

He will oversee the service and renewal of the existing commercial portfolio while also seeking to grow the portfolio through the addition of profitable new business. In addition, Catalina Romero has joined the Risk team this month as a Senior Risk Underwriter and Iain Bird has been appointed Head of Surety.

THOMAS CARROLL GROUP

Insurance broking and risk expert David Whittaker has joined Thomas Carroll Group as its Chief Operating Officer. Thomas Carroll Group, the independent insurance, risk and wealth management group which recently transitioned into an employee ownership trust (EOT), has appointed insurance broker expert David to lead operations at the company, as part of its continued growth and succession planning.

David is the former COO of Aon’s UK Retail Business and spent nearly a decade at Marsh UK, where he was appointed as the first COO of its National Corporate Practice.

Speaking of his appointment, David said: “Thomas Carroll is such a well-known and respected name in the world of insurance that when I was approached to consider the COO post I jumped at the chance. With the business just having gone through its transition to employee ownership, it has ambitious growth plans and I knew my extensive experience in change management could really make a difference here.

“I’ll be leading the Group’s strategy on succession planning, mentoring its future leaders and doing all I can to make sure that the EOT is a success for both the employees, our clients and the wider Thomas Carroll Group.”

KENYON INTERNATIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES

Kenyon International Emergency Services, the leading full-spectrum provider of disaster response services, part of the global aviation services group, Air Partner, recently announced the appointment of Kevin Curreri as Vice President of Global Response. The appointment comes as the emergency response provider continues to enhance its global team of crisis and disaster responses experts.

Based in Kenyon’s UK headquarters in Bracknell, Kevin will have full strategic and operational responsibility for Crisis Management and Disaster Response within the Air Partner Services Division. Reporting to Jonathan Astill, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Services, Kevin will play a vital leadership role in working with Kenyon’s clients, including Government agencies, emergency services, local authorities, and major corporations.

In his most recent role as Director of Operations for Control Risks’ Confidential Crisis Response Department, Kevin managed a team of specialist consultants to advise clients on the resolution of kidnap, piracy, detention, disappearance, threat, and extortion incidents. He also previously served with the United Nations (UN) in Somalia as a key member of the UN Hostage Management Programme.

ASCOT GROUP

Ascot Group has announced the appointment of Dane Lopes as Head of U.S. Partnership Engagement & Strategy, reporting to Matthew Kramer, Chief Executive Officer, Ascot U.S. In this newly created role, Lopes will be responsible for all aspects of the Ascot U.S. distribution and sales strategy in support of the platform’s growth and profitability objectives.