Job Moves and Senior Hires 04.08.2025 -

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It’s been a while since the last job moves round-up so let’s catch-up;

HDI GLOBAL

Corporate & Specialty insurer HDI Global has appointed Nils Langrehr as the new Head of Power Underwriting for its cross-division Energy & Power Unit. Langrehr’s appointment, a proficient expert with extensive international experience, represents a pivotal strategic decision by the insurer. The newly created role underscores HDI Global’s commitment to supporting clients and brokers worldwide as their preferred Partner in Transformation, addressing the challenges of the energy transition.

Langrehr (33) brings a nearly 14-year career at Hannover Re to the new role and possesses deep expertise in renewable energies as well as the conventional energy sector. Most recently, he served as a key contact in the London Market and for US brokers, significantly contributing to Hannover Re’s global positioning in renewable energies. At HDI Global, Langrehr reports to Franz Adamczyk, Head of the Energy & Power Unit.

Effective 1 November, Corporate & Specialty insurer HDI Global appoints Dennis Siebrasse as new Head of “Liability Underwriting Europe”. Dr Pascal Nef is taking over as Head of “Technical & Strategic Services – Long Tail”. Both will report directly to Dr Mukadder Erdönmez, Member of the Executive Board of HDI Global, responsible for Liability, Cyber, and Motor.

SIGMA GROUP

One of the UK’s leading business outsourcing providers has announced the appointment of a new senior director who will lead the delivery of its operations in South Africa.

Sigma Connected, which provides contact centre services across the utilities, financial services, telecommunications and insurance services sectors, has appointed specialist Errol van Graan to the new position of Director of Operational Delivery. Cape Town-born Errol previously spent 20 years with Vodafone in a variety of senior operational and customer experience roles, including within its Romanian and Australian businesses. Now having joined Sigma Connected, Errol assumes responsibility for the company’s operations in Western Cape, supporting its offshore campaigns and ensuring it continues to have the right capabilities and culture to deliver for its growing number of clients.

DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Descartes Underwriting, world leader in corporate parametric insurance solutions for climate and emerging risks, has announced the promotion of Ben Qin to therole of Head of Asia Pacific.

Ben brings 18 years’ experience in the insurance sector across Asia Pacific, most recently serving as Descartes’ Head of North Asia and Australia. He led the establishment of the Sydney office four years ago, followed by the launch of the Hong Kong and Tokyo offices two
years later. Prior to joining Descartes, Ben spent over eight years at Marsh, where he led the firm’s Alternative Risk Transfer function for Asia Pacific during his final four years.

CHUBB

Chubb has announced the appointment of Michael Babington as Head of Claims for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), effective 1 November 2025.

Babington will oversee the strategy and delivery of Chubb’s market-leading claims service across EMEA. He will be based in London and report to Ana Robic, Regional President for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Babington succeeds Richard Shanks, who will continue in the role until November.

“I’m confident that Michael, with his extensive claims experience and deep knowledge of Chubb, will continue to drive delivery of our market-leading claims service”, said Robic.

HOWDEN

Howden, the global insurance group has bolstered its growing presence in south Wales with the appointment of five insurance experts.

Chris Knowles, Stuart Daviss and Geraint Jones join the team as account handlers, and Simon Peasley and Andrew Davies join as account executives.

Stuart and Geraint join Howden’s Cardiff office and Chris joins the Swansea office as account handlers, leaving their previous roles at Thomas Carroll and Towergate. In their new roles they will be working closely with Howden’s account executives to secure the best terms and cover for clients in a variety of sectors, as well as developing new business.

CHETWOOD BANK

Chetwood Bank has announced Mark Foulsham will join its Board as non-executive director.

Mark brings more than 30 years of experience in information technology (IT), operations and third-party procurement to the role.

Mark originally qualified as a civil engineer and retained a practical, analytical mindset while subsequently progressing into senior executive roles, overseeing digital and capital investment programmes at South East Water, SAUR UK and Macquarie Bank. He has since served as Group Chief Information Officer for esure and GoCompare; Director of Delivery Services, Chair and advisory board member at CIO Connect; Chief Digital Officer at Scope; and Chief Operating Officer at Kensington Mortgages, accumulating extensive experience as an FCA SMF24 function holder.

FIGNUM

Fignum, the specialist lending platform provider, announces the appointment of Steve Carruthers as Growth Director, marking a significant step in the company’s expansion plans. Carruthers joins from Finova, where he served as Business Development Director for Mortgages, leading growth initiatives for the company’s Mortgage Sales and Origination platform (MSO).

Three Decades of Industry Expertise

With over 30 years of experience across the mortgage industry, Carruthers brings deep expertise from senior roles at Newcastle Building Society, where he was Head of Mortgage Distribution, and previously Head of Intermediary Sales at Aldermore Bank.

Fignum specialises in loan origination and servicing for mortgages, motor finance, and unsecured lending, with highly configurable technology at the forefront of its offering. The company was created to tackle the challenges posed by outdated legacy technology, which often lacks intuitiveness and ease of navigation for users.

RENAULT

Renault Group announces the appointment of Florent Chaix, currently Investor relations manager, to the position of Head of Investor relations, effective immediately. He succeeds Philippine de Schonen, who will oversee a transition period and retain her role as Director of Mergers and Acquisitions before leaving the company on September 12, 2025, to pursue a new professional challenge. Florent Chaix reports to Duncan Minto, Chief Financial Officer of Renault Group.

DENPLAN

Leading dental payment plan provider Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, has appointed Dr. Matthew Nolan as Head Dental Officer. Matthew is Principal Dentist at Merivale Dental Practice and has been a practising Denplan dentist for over 25 years, as well as a Denplan Practice Advisor for the Southeast since 2020.

As Head Dental Officer, Matthew will play a pivotal role in supporting and advocating for Denplan’s network of more than 6,600 member dentists, championing clinical excellence, and delivering Denplan’s strategic vision for a sustainable future for dentistry.

TOWERGATE

Roberto Russo has joined the international team at Towergate Employee Benefits as Global Benefits Management – Principal Consultant.

Roberto joins a growing and successful team that supports clients in over 120 countries. He will be responsible for managing, retaining and developing a portfolio of global clients, reporting to Sarah Dennis, Head of International. He will be involved in face-to-face communication with prospective and existing clients, ensuring first-rate account management. Part of the role will also include the growth and development of other individuals within the team as well as supporting Sarah.

GALLAGHER BASSETT

Gallagher Bassett (GB) has announced the appointment of industry leader Sarah Penny as the new Client Services Director for UK operations. Her role will report to John Fearn, Chief Operating Officer for GB UK, and will be responsible for looking after GB’s long
list of valued corporate and carrier client relationships.

Sarah brings with her 15 years of industry expertise. She has previously worked in key roles for Previsico, Liberty Specialty Markets, Pen Underwriting, Ecclesiastical and Allianz Insurance. After starting her career as a claims handler, Sarah has built a diverse service and customer-facing skillset through managerial positions in Relationships, Business Development and Partnerships, placing her in the perfect position to steer GB’s Client Services.

FCA

Liam Coleman has been appointed interim chair of the Financial Ombudsman Service. He will take up the role on 10 October 2025.

Liam has over 30 years’ extensive financial services, public sector and board experience. He was formerly chief executive officer of The Co-operative Bank, deputy group treasurer and group head of capital management at The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and group director, treasury at Nationwide Building Society. Liam currently chairs Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and London and Quadrant Housing Trust, and is interim chair of Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust.

Liam will succeed Baroness Zahida Manzoor CBE, who is stepping down after 2 terms in post. Liam will chair the Financial Ombudsman’s board until a permanent appointment is made, after the initial recruitment campaign proved unsuccessful.

MNK

MNK Group Holdings, the global independent insurance and reinsurance conglomerate, has appointed Chaitali Roy as Group Executive Managing Director – Risk and Regulation, effective 1 July 2025. She will also join the Group Executive Board and report directly to the Group Chief Executive Officer.

In this strategic leadership role, Chaitali will lead MNK’s global risk and regulatory agenda, driving enterprise-wide governance, strengthening engagement with international regulators, and aligning risk strategy with the Group’s ambitious growth across the UK, EU, Middle East, Asia, and other key regions. With over two decades of experience spanning audit, risk, and regulation, Chaitali brings deep expertise from leadership roles at EY, KPMG, and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) – Bank of England, where she represented the UK on global risk and regulatory platforms. Most recently, she served as a Risk Partner at EY, advising boards of top-tier insurers on risk and regulatory transformation and strategic governance.

VOLANTE GROUP

Volante Global, a multi-class, multi-territory international Lloyd’s Syndicate and Managing General Agent (MGA) owned by leading global fintech Acrisure, is pleased to announce the appointment of Demian Smith to the role of Chief Executive Officer, Volante Global.

Smith has enjoyed a longstanding and broad career in the (re)insurance industry having started his career in 1995. He has successfully built and transformed businesses across both the broking and underwriting sides of the market. Smith’s track record for leading change whilst building collaborative and high performing teams will be invaluable as Volante continues to mature and grow its global MGA and syndicate platform.

ARCH

Arch Insurance International (Arch) has announced the promotion of David Maher to Chief Information Officer (CIO), effective immediately.

In this role, Maher leads the delivery of Arch’s information technology strategy and infrastructure, advancing the adoption of technologies to maintain an efficient and agile operating environment. Based in London, he reports to Ketan Motwani, Chief Operating Officer of Arch Insurance International, and Prashant Nema, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Arch Capital Group Ltd.

Maher joined Arch in 2024 as International Head of Delivery. Prior to joining Arch, he served as General Insurance Head of Engineering at Lloyds Banking Group and brings over 25 years of experience in the financial sector. He has also held senior digital and technology leadership roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Direct Line Group, WTW, and UBS.

IUA

The International Underwriting Association has made a new appointment to its secretariat team supporting companies in the London re/insurance market. Evie Newman has joined the organisation as an Underwriting and Claims Technician and will assist London Market committees for a comprehensive range of business classes.

The IUA’s Underwriting and Claims department works with more than 80 member companies to promote best practices, provide education and training opportunities and represent their interests to government and regulators. Its mission is to secure an optimal trading environment for London insurers and reinsurers. Evie Newman is a law graduate from the University of Cardiff and has previous internship experience in both the London Market and legal industry.

MCGILL AND PARTNERS

McGill and Partners, the global specialty insurance and reinsurance broker, has appointed Julia Henderson as Partner and CEO of its Bermuda business, subject to required approvals. George Cantlay, who currently works in the firm’s global treaty reinsurance team in London, will take on the additional position of President of the Bermuda business.

Julia will play a key role in driving the growth of McGill and Partners’ reinsurance business. Her extensive experience in both traditional reinsurance and Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) will strengthen the firm’s strategic focus on delivering innovative, efficient, and regulatory-compliant risk transfer solutions.

Julia brings over 20 years of experience in Casualty, Specialty, and Property Reinsurance, highlighting her strong track record in operational and strategic excellence. As President, George will oversee the production and placement of reinsurance, working across multiple lines of business.

CIRENCESTER FRIENDLY

Income protection provider Cirencester Friendly is thrilled to announce that Andy Lucas has been appointed as their new Chair. Andy has been a member of the Board since 2021, previously serving as Senior Independent Director. He replaces Janice Banks, who retires after serving the maximum nine years on the Board, the last two of which were as Chair.

Following four years on the Board, Andy has a deep understanding of both Cirencester’s ambitions and challenges. He has wealth of industry knowledge, acquired through a distinguished career in marketing, sales and business transformation, including senior roles at Prudential, ACE European Group and Cambridge Building Society. He is also Vice-Chair of Buckinghamshire Building Society, trustee of two charities and a member of The Chartered Institute of Marketing.

COALITION

Coalition, has appointed two new regional hires in the United Kingdom. James Holder will support brokers in the South West of England and South Wales, and Sam Mullett will be based in Birmingham and support brokers in the Midlands.

Holder joins Coalition as a Senior Business Development Manager. Previously a specialty cyber underwriter at Munich Re, he brings with him a wealth of cyber underwriting expertise and client knowledge. Holder is based on the border of South Wales/England and will support brokers across the South West and in South Wales in developing their cyber book.

Mullett joins Coalition as a Production Underwriter based in Birmingham, focusing on supporting brokers locally and across the Midlands in placing cyber business. He joins from Aviva, where as a cyber underwriter, he enabled his brokers to better understand cyber risks facing their clients.

COUNTERPART

Chris Robowski has been appointed the Director of Allied Health at Counterpart. Prior to joining the team, he served as SVP of Allied Healthcare Services at Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance, where he led one of the company’s core healthcare liability programs.

With over 15 years of experience in the industry, Chris has developed and scaled underwriting strategies tailored to the evolving risks of allied health providers. He previously spent nearly seven years at Tokio Marine HCC – Cyber & Professional Lines Group, where he advanced from AVP – Southeast Regional Manager to VP, Underwriting – National Product Manager for Allied Medical, Social Services, and SMML. Before that, he was a Senior Healthcare Underwriter at Zurich North America and held prior roles at Admiral Insurance and General Star Management Co., underwriting medical liability for physicians, surgeons, and healthcare facilities.

Allianz Partners, a world leader in insurance and assistance services, announces that Susan Poynor will take over the position of Global Head of Mobility and Ali Bashirinia has recently taken over the position of Global Head of Roadside Assistance. These two key leadership appointments within its Mobility & Assistance Line of Business reflect the company’s commitment to innovation and growth in the rapidly evolving automotive and mobility sectors.

In her role as Global Head of Mobility, Susan Poynor will focus on driving growth in the motor insurance business segment, fostering collaboration across Allianz entities. She will work on developing new insurance offerings, with a particular focus on embedded insurance and connected car solutions. This is particularly relevant as the automotive industry undergoes significant transformation through technological change and a shift towards sustainable mobility.

Ali Bashirinia has taken over the role of Global Head of Roadside Assistance, bringing with him extensive experience since joining Allianz in 2011. Ali has occupied strategic roles across Sales, Consulting and Transformation, developing robust expertise in strategic program leadership and operational excellence. Most recently, he was Head of Business Transformation & Steering, implementing the target IT platform across Europe and supporting the global transformation program.

In his new role, Ali will focus on expanding the Roadside Assistance business by harnessing data, AI and a strong partner network to deliver faster, more proactive support to drivers.

MOSAIC

Mosaic Insurance has named three more industry leaders to its Advisory Board to help guide the company’s strategic growth.

• Peter Breitstone, consultant and risk adviser to industry clients

Breitstone runs a consultancy and insurance brokerage, delivering services to Fortune 500 insurance corporations, insurance technology start-ups, key private-equity and venture-capital firms, and large healthcare organizations. He expanded a second-generation insurance agency into a specialty risk and insurance brokerage and created one of the first boutique environmental brokerage firms. He has also advised on organizational change for companies, including Goji, Insureon, Zurich North America, and Aon. Breitstone has a law degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, and is a member of the Bar in New York State and the District of Columbia.

• George Hanna, board member, adviser, CEO and general counsel

Hanna recently worked with Secureworks’ board and management team to negotiate the sale of the company to Sophos, a ThomaBravo company. He spent 10 years as chief legal and administrative officer for the cybersecurity firm, responsible for managing global legal and regulatory compliance, human resources, information technology and security, and internal audit functions. Previously he was EVP, chief legal and administrative officer for YP Holdings, one of the largest digital media companies in the US. Hanna also served in leadership roles at Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and held senior legal roles at BellSouth Corporation. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance from the University of Miami, FL and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law, FL.

• Tom Kim, private-equity consultant and senior adviser, KKR

Kim recently retired from KKR, where he served as managing director and global risk manager. He is responsible for establishing an industry-leading insurance platform that has generated billions in equity value creation across 1,000-plus deals and hundreds of portfolio companies globally. Kim has 20 years of in-house private-equity experience and previously worked at Cerberus Capital Management as an operations executive, and at Aon in its M&A group. He holds an MBA from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, a Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, CA, and a BS with Honors from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, MA.

JENSTEN

Jensten Underwriting, the leading managing general agent within the Jensten Group, has appointed senior industry specialist Kathleen (Kat) Durling as Director of Underwriting. Kat’s arrival marks a significant milestone in Jensten Underwriting’s ambitious five-year strategic plan, reinforcing its commitment to delivering innovative, broker-focused insurance solutions.

Kat, who has over 15 years’ experience, joins from Simply Business, where she refined her expertise in product development and data-driven decision-making. Having already had a distinguished career spanning senior roles at Victor Insurance, CGI, MS Amlin, and Chaucer, Kat brings a wealth of experience in underwriting leadership and product innovation.

In her new role, Kat will spearhead two of Jensten Underwriting’s four strategic pillars: expanding specialist and niche underwriting capabilities and evolving a product roadmap aligned with the needs of the UK broking market. Her proven track record in developing tailored insurance solutions and leveraging data to enhance underwriting decisions will drive Jensten Underwriting’s growth and reinforce its position as a broker-centric MGA.