The latest senior appointments round-up for you;
THE INSURANCE CHARITY
The Insurance Charity has appointed Helen Sanson as its new CEO, who will join the Charity from 10 March.
The appointment comes after the Charity’s CEO, Annali-Joy Thornicroft announced her planned retirement last autumn, after almost forty years at the organisation.
Helen joins the organisation from The Switch, where she has spent 22 years, 12 of those as its CEO. The Switch has a long-standing relationship with the insurance sector, having been founded by Lloyd’s of London in 1991, and who now works with over 30 Lloyd’s Managing Agencies to provide employability education support for students in Tower Hamlets, London.
Helen brings a wealth of experience in fostering partnerships across the insurance sector and was behind the launch of Abacus, the family financial literacy project which last year was supported by 200 volunteers from across the Lloyd’s Market.
BMS
BMS Re, the reinsurance arm of independent insurance and reinsurance broker BMS Group, announces two senior appointments. Jonathan Hughes and Martin Bartell join BMS from Howden Re and will be based in London. Both will report directly to Hannah Watkins, Chief Growth Officer.
Jonathan Hughes joins BMS Re as managing director – non-marine reinsurance. Hughes brings three decades of experience to the role across major industry players including Guy Carpenter, Axis and Aon. Most recently, he held the role of managing director and retro broker.
Martin Bartell joins BMS Re as director – non-marine reinsurance. He began his career as a broker in 1986 at Alexander Howden. Previous employers also include Benfield, Gallagher Re and Aon. He spent the last decade working as a broker in the UK specialty and retro desk.
In line with the reinsurance growth strategy defined following the arrival of Brad Melvin as BMS Re US CEO, the new hires will bolster the capabilities of the existing London-based reinsurance team, with responsibilities extending into the Bermuda market and cross-collaboration with global teams. The development of the London reinsurance platform is a key component of BMS Re’s global strategy, aimed at ensuring clients have access to truly independent services across the board.
BEAZLEY
Beazley, the leading specialty insurer, today announced the appointment of Sara Foucher as Head of Commercial Property, Europe, effective immediately. Based in Paris, Ms Foucher will spearhead the development of Beazley’s property offering while growing the team across the region to meet the demand for specialty solutions. She will report to Richard Montminy, Group Head of Property Risks.
Foucher brings three decades of industry experience to Beazley. She joins from Generali, where she was Head of Underwriting GC&C, France. Prior to this, she held a number of senior positions, including Property Underwriting Director for France and Belgium at RSA and Head of Property, France, at Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.
HOWDEN
Alps, a specialist MGA provider of insurance add-on policies, legal expenses, and claims solutions for intermediaries, has announced the appointment of Nick Copley as its new Head of Claims.
Nick has been with Alps for 10 years, having held roles in the litigation team, most recently as Legal Team Manager. In his new role as Head of Claims he will be responsible for further enhancing the Alps value proposition, delivering the highest quality services to brokers and claimants, and ensuring Alps stays at the forefront of claims management and legal service provision.
Alps is recognised for its differentiated approach, augmenting claims handler expertise with significant investment in proprietary claims technology innovation, and continuous skills development. Its approach improves efficiency and keeps cost per claim to a minimum, whilst boosting service and driving high levels of both broker and claimant satisfaction.
MARKEL
Markel, the insurance operations within the Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) is today announcing the appointment of Nicola Cunliffe as head of trading in the UK. In this key role for the business, Cunliffe will be responsible for brokers’ experience when trading with Markel across the UK, capitalising on already existing strong foundations and broker relationships.
Cunliffe brings extensive experience in insurance trading and operations, having previously held several leadership positions; as head of insurance operations at Flock and head of SME trading operations at AXA. Her expertise in operational excellence and broker engagement will play a pivotal role in supporting Markel’s continued profitable growth in the UK, while driving forward broker trading operations.
APOLLO
Apollo, the innovative integrated insurance group, today announces the appointment of Rob Littlemore as independent non-executive director of Apollo Syndicate Management Limited (“ASML”), subject to regulatory approval.
With more than 35 years of experience in the (re)insurance industry, Littlemore has held prominent leadership roles including positions as Chief Executive of XL Catlin Reinsurance London and Head of Catlin’s London Reinsurance Group. His extensive career also includes time at Chaucer and Faraday.
Currently he serves as Non-Executive Director of the Lockton Re International LLP Board and Chairman of Lockton Re Audit, Risk and Compliance committee.
SWISS RE
Swiss Re announces that Kera McDonald, currently Chief Underwriting Officer of Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, is appointed Group Chief Underwriting Officer as of 1 June 2025, subject to regulatory approval. Separately, after a combined 25-years’ tenure at Swiss Re, Group Chief Risk Officer Patrick Raaflaub has decided to retire by the end of September 2025. The succession process is currently in progress, and a successor will be announced in due course.
Kera McDonald has more than 30 years of professional experience and has been with Swiss Re since 2006 in various specialist and leadership roles. She has been a member of the Corporate Solutions Executive Committee since July 2019 and the Chief Underwriting Officer for this Business Unit since 2022. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Economics from Cornell University and an MBA in International Business from the University of Washington.
CHUBB
Westchester, Chubb’s Excess and Surplus Lines Division, has announced the appointment of Alex Faynberg, currently Division President of Chubb Workplace Benefits (CWB), to Executive Vice President and Head of Healthy Paws, a Chubb company, effective March 3, 2025.
Healthy Paws is a top-rated pet insurance company in the U.S., recognized for its commitment to pet health. In his new role, Alex will have executive operating responsibility to expand the company’s market presence, strengthen its position as a leader, as well as oversee underwriting and operational priorities.
AVENTUM
Aventum, the fast growing International (Re)Insurance Group, has announced the appointment of Jonathan Butcher as Non-Executive Chairman.
Jonathan has 35 years’ experience in the Lloyds and London market. He was latterly CEO and before that Underwriting Director at Novae Syndicates, and joined the Board of the Lloyd’s Market Association in 2015. He spent 14 years at Novae and before that spent 13 years at Lloyd’s and 11 years at the Sturge Group PLC in a variety of senior underwriting roles across multiple classes with a focus on Property & Casualty. Jonathan was CEO at Novae Syndicates when it was sold to AXIS in 2017 for in excess of USD 600m and led the Syndicate through that process.
Jonathan has been a Non-Executive Director at Rokstone since 2022, successfully helping them to steer Rokstone – introducing more rigour across its management and operations to ensure it all keeps pace with growth.
ARAG
Leading legal expenses insurance and assistance provider, ARAG has appointed Peter King to the role of London Market Account Manager, strengthening the company’s presence in the City.
He brings enormous experience to the position, having worked in account management, underwriting and business development roles for several major insurers, during his 35 years in the insurance industry.
As well as spells at Axa, Aviva and Travelers, Peter spent 9 years with Allianz, including 5 years in an international consultancy role in Munich. After returning to the UK, he enjoyed posts with RSA, HSB and Great Lakes, as well as some time in the legal expenses sector with Abbey Legal Protection.
SPECTRUM LIFE
Spectrum.Life, a global partner in digital whole-of-health solutions, announces the appointment of Ian Ranger as Head of Insurance for the UK and Ireland.
With over 17 years of experience in the Protection market, including roles at Canada Life and MetLife, Ranger brings strong expertise in forging meaningful partnerships and driving innovation in the insurance sector. His deep knowledge of the insurance and broker landscape positions him to lead Spectrum.Life’s growth in this critical market.
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