It’s been a while since the last round up of movers and shakers, so let’s get into it;
DIESTA
HDI Global (HDI) has announced the appointment of Georgina Smart as Head of Global Risk Bloodstock & Equine, effective Wednesday 15 October.
Smart joins HDI from equine specialist, Ashby Underwriting, where she previously held a senior underwriting role. Prior to that, she was Head of Equine for Tokio Marine Kiln, and Equine Class Underwriter at Catlin Underwriting Agencies. Based at HDI’s London office, Smart will lead the firm’s bloodstock and equine underwriting and distribution strategy across international markets and the US.
MNK INTERNATIONAL
MNK International, a leading independent Lloyd’s broker, has continued its expansion into real estate service provision with the appointment of James Gorsuch as Associate Director of UK and International Real Estate. Gorsuch brings more than 10 years of experience in real estate insurance across both global and independent brokerages, including at Marsh, Lockton, and Inicio Risk Solutions, leading on insurance with investors, new business opportunities, and developing bespoke placement solutions with insurers.
Allianz UK has announced the appointment of Mansoor Reehana to the newly created role of Head of Artificial Intelligence (AI), to lead the strategic growth of AI initiatives.
In his new role, within the central data team, Mansoor will be responsible for the strategy, architecture and product delivery of AI projects, aligning cutting-edge technologies with Allianz’s business goals. He will oversee the delivery of enterprise-scale AI and Machine Learning platforms, fostering cross-functional collaboration and ensuring ethical, scalable deployment of AI solutions.
Optio Group, a leading specialty MGA, announces the appointment of Harald Teige who joins S Insurance AS (S Insurance), an Optio company, as head of coastal marine. Based in Oslo, Teige will report to Morten F. Basthus, chief underwriting officer and assumes his role immediately.
With a marine insurance career spanning more than three decades, Teige brings a wealth of leadership expertise to Optio. Teige joins from Fender Insurance AS where he served as director and chief underwriting officer since 2020. Prior to this, he held key leadership roles at WR Berkley Norway, where he served as chief underwriting officer from 2009 to 2020, overseeing portfolios in Marine Hull, Coastal & Fishery and Yacht insurance. His earlier experience includes serving as director and head of marine at Nemi Forsikring and as director of marine insurance at Gjensidige Forsikring.
AFRICA SPECIALTY RISKS
Africa Specialty Risks (“ASR”), the developing markets focused (re)insurance group, announces the appointment of Elaine Mason as Head of Claims. Elaine will be responsible for leading ASR’s claims function, including furthering claims operations, philosophy, and technology. Her mandate will also focus on designing and implementing a new talent strategy, including resourcing the function with best-in-class claims professionals.
Elaine will have responsibility for claims across all of ASR’s underwriting platforms in Bermuda, Mauritius, and at Lloyd’s.
FERMA
FERMA has announced the appointment of Laurent Nihoul as CEO, who will take up the position on 1 December 2025.
Nihoul is a FERMA Board member and previously served as Chair of the Captives Committee. His appointment marks the first time a senior figure from the insurance and risk management sector has taken on this role, reinforcing FERMA’s commitment to strategic leadership rooted in industry experience.
Bringing almost 30 years of industry experience to the position, Nihoul was most recently General Manager and Group Head of Insurance at ArcelorMittal, having joined the company in 2014. His extensive risk and insurance career also includes senior positions in reinsurance, ERM, risk finance and underwriting.
RECOOP
Recoop Disaster Insurance (Recoop®) the multi-peril disaster insurance company offering lump-sum recovery cash after a disaster has announced the appointment of Greg Bailey as Chief Executive Officer and Charlie Turri as Chief Technology Officer. Together, Bailey and Turri bring deep experience in insurance, financial services, and technology innovation that will position Recoop for accelerated growth, expanded distribution, and next-generation platform development.
An experienced entrepreneur and operator, Bailey has founded and served as CEO of Rivet Co., a media and growth consulting company. Previously, Bailey founded and served as the CEO of Denim, a leading social media management software company serving financial and insurance brands nationwide. He also co-founded Insure.vcand has held senior leadership roles with Athene, Pacific Life, and TruStage.
LSM
Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Henry Nelson as active underwriter, subject to regulatory approval. Nelson will be expanding his duties as chief underwriting officer (CUO), UK & MENA, and will be working in the coming weeks alongside current active underwriter Jane Warren, who is set to retire at the end of 2025.
Reporting directly to Luis Prato, president of UK & MENA, Nelson will be responsible for managing the underwriting portfolio of LSM’s Lloyd’s Syndicate 4472, continuing his broader capacity as CUO, which he was appointed to in January this year. Prior to this he had served as chief of staff, along with several other key roles over his 11 years at LSM.
iFARM UNDERWRITING
iFarm Underwriting, Rokstone’s UK farm and agriculture specialist MGA, has announced the appointment of James King to further strengthen its specialist agriculture and rural underwriting team.
James joins iFarm as an Underwriter from Geo Agriculture where he was a Farm Underwriter and Senior Motor Underwriter. He brings 13 years’ underwriting experience across both farm and motor classes, as well as a deep understanding of the agriculture insurance market. This makes him an obvious choice for iFarm as they progress their cross-class underwriting strategy, which covers Farm Combined, Farm Focus, Property Owners and Farm Motor products.
BROKERSLINK
Blenheim Partnerships announces the appointment of Geoff Pryor-White to head up a new cyber unit, effective immediately.
Pryor-White brings 29 years of experience building and scaling high-performing teams in the cyber and tech E&O and PI market, where he has played an instrumental role in shaping the cyber insurance landscape. In 2016, Pryor-White founded Tarian Underwriting and led the company as CEO through its growth and eventual sale to Corvus in 2022, where he continued for an additional two years.
The appointment represents another milestone in Blenheim’s growth, reinforcing its ability to attract leading underwriting talent to its business.
ACRISURE RE
Acrisure Re, the reinsurance division of global fintech leader Acrisure, recently announced the appointment of Isabella Costa Ximenez as Executive Director, Head of Reinsurance of Acrisure Brasil Corretora de Resseguros LTDA (“Acrisure Re Brasil”), 8 October, 2025. This appointment marks Acrisure Re’s first investment in Latin America, underscoring its commitment to strengthening its reinsurance presence in the region. It also coincides with the official launch of the Acrisure brand in Brazil, a significant step in the company’s global growth and expansion strategy.
In her new role, Ximenez will report directly to Thomaz Menezes, CEO of Acrisure Brasil, and will be responsible for establishing Acrisure Re’s local operations, shaping its facultative reinsurance strategy, and working in close collaboration with retail P&C business leaders across the region. She will also serve on the executive committee of Acrisure Brasil. Additionally, Acrisure Re Brasil will work in close coordination with Acrisure Re’s international team, supporting the continued growth and development of its reinsurance business worldwide.
TRIANGLE LIFE
Triangle Life is pleased to announce the appointment of Thomas Foley as Chief Underwriter and Christopher Guerin as Deputy Chief Underwriter, strengthening the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional underwriting expertise in the high-net-worth (HNW) space. Together, Tom and Chris bring more than 70 years of HNW underwriting experience, reinforcing the firm’s focus on excellence in this area.
Tom is a veteran Chief Underwriter with decades of experience in international HNW life insurance. He brings deep expertise in assessing complex medical and financial risks for HNW clients across global markets. At Triangle Life, he will lead the development of the underwriting function, including building and managing the new underwriting team.
Chris brings over 35 years of underwriting experience with a strong focus on international markets. Known for his fresh thinking on complex cases, he maintains a solutions-driven mindset and emphasis on operational efficiency. At Triangle Life, he will be dedicated to optimising underwriting processes and collaborating with brokers to deliver tailored solutions.
Together, Tom and Chris will work closely with brokers to navigate complex underwriting challenges, bringing a fresh, solutions-oriented approach. Their appointment reflects Triangle Life’s commitment to making underwriting a core part of our differentiated value proposition for HNW brokers and clients.
BROADSTONE
Broadstone has appointed Kelly Parsons as Head of DC Proposition with the creation of this role reflecting Broadstone’s significant recent growth as well as its ambitions to build further momentum in its Employee Benefits Consulting division.
Kelly joins Broadstone from Mercer Marsh Benefits where she led a team of benefit consultants advising employers on pensions, as well as group risk and healthcare. She brings over 24 years of extensive experience in pensions and employee benefits with particular expertise in team management, proposition development and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth.
4MOST
Arch Insurance UK Regional Division has announced the appointment of Martin Cleary as Leeds Branch Manager with immediate effect.
In this role, Cleary is responsible for managing all aspects of the day-to-day operations and broker distribution of the Leeds office. He oversees a 15-strong team enhancing support for broker partners and delivering on Arch’s growth plans for Leeds and the North-East region. Cleary reports to Janine Starkie, North and Scotland Regional Manager.
With over three decades of UK insurance market experience, Cleary joins from Bravo Network where he was most recently Head of Business Development. Prior to this he held various underwriting positions at Groupama.
VERNON BUILDING SOCIETY
Vernon Building Society has promoted Dale Sidhu to the role of Intermediary Sales Team Leader. Dale joined the Vernon in April 2021 as an Intermediary Desk Support Advisor and quickly made an impact at strengthening broker relationships and enhancing service delivery.
In his new role, Dale works in a four-strong intermediary team led by Brendan Crowshaw, to drive Vernon Building Society’s mortgage business forward through a values-led mutual approach. He will be responsible for nurturing and expanding broker partnerships, upholding high service standards and supporting brokers and customers with complex applications.
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