Will Martin has resigned from the energy team at Catlin in London and is expected to join Atrium in January 2012.
On 17th November, Crawford & Company announced from Singapore that Stuart A. Mintz has joined Crawford & Company’s Asia-Pacific team in Thailand as International Executive General Adjuster for the Indochina Zone, incorporating Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. He will report to Paul Rabbitte as General Manager of the Indochina Zone and Ian Baxter as Managing Director, GTS Asia-Pacific.
On 21st November 2011, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited announced the appointment of Stuart Beatty as Managing Director, Asia Pacific (APAC), JLT Re Fac. Beatty was previously Executive Managing Director of Aon Benfield Fac APAC.
Barnabas Hurst-Bannister stood down as Chairman of London Market Group after two and a half years at the LMG’s December meeting; he was succeeded by Stephen Riley, Executive Director of Global Aerospace and Chairman of the International Underwriting Association. Hurst-Bannister retired as Chairman of Travelers Syndicate Management Limited earlier in 2011.
Alison Clarke, who resigned from Starr Underwriting Agents Limited, where she was Offshore Underwriter at Starr’s Lloyd's Syndicate CVS 1919, has joined Zurich in London. In an apparently unconnected development, Paul Calnan, Senior Underwriter at Starr Underwriting Agents in London, has resigned.
David Ibeson is understood to have resigned from the Catlin Group, where he has been Chief Executive of Catlin UK since 2008, and is reported to be joining Apollo, which manages Lloyd's Syndicate 1969, when contractual obligations allow.
Market sources suggest that Ron Hayes, Divisional Managing Director, Global Risk Solutions at Jardine Lloyd Thompson in London, has resigned and can be expected to move to another broker in due course, possibly with three present colleagues.
2002-formed, UK-based analytics and modelling company and specialty MGA Sciemus has announced the appointment of insurance industry veteran Dennis Mahoney as Chairman of the company, effective 28th November. Mahoney, who was Chairman of Aon Global when he retired from Aon in May 2009, is also to become an investor in the company.
On 28th November, Barbican Group Holdings Limited announced that John Pilkington, Deputy Active Underwriter, has been promoted to Active Underwriter, effective 1st January 2012.
On 30th November, Willis Group Holdings announced the appointment of Scott Pickering, President, Willis Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, as CEO of Willis South Africa. Pickering, who will remain President of the wider region, will relocate to Johannesburg.
Martin Hudson - who, after nearly 30 years, left Travelers in 2009 where he was President, Europe, for the Travelers Companies, subsequently operating as a consultant - has been appointed Director of Underwriting at Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, replacing Eamon Brown who was leaving the company at the end of 2011.
On 29th November, Neal Abernathy, President & CEO of Swett & Crawford, announced that Tom McGrath has joined Cooper Gay Re, as Executive V.P.
Stephen May, founder and Chief Executive, is understood to have left risk and insurance management services company Kane Group. Kane was established in 2006 and on 1st June 2011 completed the acquisition of the insurance management operations of HSBC, with backing from private equity firm CBPE Capital.
Rupert Taylor, previously with the Novae group, has been appointed Head of International General Liability for Argo International and will be developing a UK and international general liability account. Taylor will join the Board of Argo Direct, Argo International's service company.
On 7th December, the UK based Institute of Risk Management (IRM) announced that Richard Anderson has been elected Chairman of its Board of Directors with immediate effect. Anderson is Managing Director, UK, at Crowe Horwath Global Risk Consulting and was previously IRM Deputy Chairman. Two deputy chairs have also been elected. They are Chris Charman, Independent Risk Consultant, and Alyson Pepperill, Client Projects Director, at Oval Insurance Broking.
Thomas Tidbury, previously an energy insurance broker at Cooper Gay, has joined Argo International in London.
On 8th December, Paul O’Neill, Global Head of Energy at Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) advised the company’s business partners that, effective 3rd January 2012, Pete Connors will join AGCS as Offshore Energy Global Product Leader. Connors most recently served as President and CEO of Zurich Global Energy and earlier was fifteen years with AIG, reaching the level of Senior V.P. of AIU Energy. Connors, who will be based in New York, will oversee AGCS’s offshore business worldwide. His core focus will be global product management, including global pricing strategy, underwriting appetite, product development and underwriting compliance.
Karl Winter has resigned from Channing Lucas and is expected to join the downstream energy team at Alesco in London in January 2011.
On 12th December, Swiss Re's Board of Directors announced that Stefan Lippe has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Re in the course of 2012. A successor is planned to be appointed soon.
Also on 12th December, Bermuda-based AXIS Capital Holdings Limited announced its CEO succession plan for May 2012. John R. Charman will retire as Chief Executive Officer and President effective 3rd May 2012, the date of the Company’s 2012 AGM of shareholders. Charman will be succeeded by Albert Benchimol, who will become CEO and President, also effective 3rd May. Benchimol currently serves as the Company’s CFO and as a member of its Executive Management Committee. Charman will remain with the Company in the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding Michael A. Butt, who is stepping down as Chairman of the Board but will continue to serve as a member of the Board of Directors. As Chairman, Charman “will remain actively involved with the Company, ensuring a seamless transition in leadership”. Benchimol will be appointed to the Board of Directors effective 1st January 2012. The Company has initiated a search for Benchimol’s successor as CFO, and is considering both internal and external candidates.
In our October 2011 issue, we reported on the move of Julia Aasberg from Allianz Global, Corporate & Specialty to Chaucer in London. Chaucer has now formally confirmed the appointment of Aasberg as Joint Class Underwriter with responsibility for developing its offshore energy accounts. Chaucer has also announced that Simone Bramsiepe, previously Property Underwriter for South America at Hannover Re, has been appointed as Deputy Class Underwriter, and Sarah Soares, who has been on the Chaucer graduate scheme, appointed as Underwriting Assistant to its midstream and renewable energy team. Chaucer has added to its Houston, Texas-based underwriting platform for land-based oil and gas operations in North America with the appointment of Sammie Aden as Liability Underwriter. Meanwhile in Norway Morten Lehne, previously a senior energy broker with Aon Norway, has join Chaucer as Head of Production and Office Manager at its new office in Oslo, with responsibility for developing services to the Norwegian and regional North Sea energy sector. Chris White, Head of Global Energy Practice at Chaucer, said, "These appointments further strengthen our service to brokers in London and the important energy markets of Scandinavia and the United States, and underline the commitment of our global energy practice to building a market leading underwriting capability.”
On 14th December, energy and marine loss adjusters Braemar Steege announced that, having successfully completed all aspects of the sale of Steege Kingston to Braemar Shipping Services plc, and the subsequent integration of Steege into Braemar’s Technical Services, Nigel Carpenter has resigned his positions in the Braemar companies to pursue other interests. Braemar Steege wished him every success in the future. Day to day management of Braemar Steege is unchanged and remains under the leadership of the Managing Directors of its four main offices in London (Geoffrey Thomas), Houston (Chris Dye), Singapore (Roger Law) and Calgary (Grant Smith).
William L. McBurnie, an employee of Marsh Inc. in the US from 1997 to 2005, is reported to have commenced a lawsuit in the US District Court for New Jersey against his former employers, alleging malicious prosecution and breach of contract. The action is in connection to events that flowed from the investigation by the office of the New York Attorney General, then Eliot Spitzer, addressing bid rigging and other matters. McBurnie was one of a number of Marsh employees indicted following the Spitzer investigation - charges against him were eventually dismissed in November 2009 - and he claims he was made a scapegoat by Marsh. Marsh has said that it had met its obligations to McBurnie by paying severance pay plan benefits and some USD5.4m in defence costs and will vigorously defend the lawsuit.
On 14th December, the supervisory board of Allianz SE made the following personnel decisions: Paul Achleitner and Enrico Cucchiani were released from their contractual obligations, allowing Achleitner to leave Allianz by 31st May 2012 and Cucchiani as of 21st December 2011. The following new Allianz SE management board members were appointed as of 1st January 2012: Helga Jung (50), Gary Bhojwani (43) and Dieter Wemmer (54). Maximilian Zimmerer (53) will be joining the Allianz SE management board as of 1st June 2012. Jung (presently Head of Group Mergers and Acquisitions) will take over responsibility for the insurance business in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, as well as mergers and acquisitions, strategic participations and legal and compliance. Bhojwani (presently CEO of Allianz Life, USA) will take over Insurance USA from Jay Ralph. Wemmer will join Allianz Group and be responsible for the Western European insurance activities - except Spain, Portugal and the German-speaking countries - and he will also be in charge of the Global Property and Casualty department. Zimmerer will take over Achleitner’s board responsibilities as of 1st June 2012, as well as the Global Life department. Until mid 2012 he will continue as CEO of Allianz Lebensversicherung and as a member of the board of Allianz Deutschland. Oliver Bäte will assume responsibility for investor relations as of 1st June 2012, in addition to his present duties. The supervisory board has proposed Helmut Perlet (64) as a new member and will ask the AGM of Allianz in 2012 to elect him. Perlet was the CFO of Allianz for many years and was a member of the management board of Allianz SE until 2009. Henning Schulte-Noelle (69) will not stand for re-election to the supervisory board at the next shareholders’ meeting, having reached its age limit. Furthermore, Christine Bosse (50), well known to the insurance industry, is expected to join the supervisory board as shareholder representative, succeeding Gerhard Cromme (68) upon the expiration of his mandate at the 2012 Allianz general meeting.
On 19th December, AEGIS London, the UK-based subsidiary of AEGIS (Associated Electric & Gas Insurance Services Limited), announced the appointment of Michael Onslow to its board as a Non-Executive Director. Onslow has had a long career in the energy sector and the broader insurance industry, starting out as an energy underwriter at Sturge Holding (Lloyd’s Syndicate 206) before moving on to London & Edinburgh Insurance Company, also to underwrite energy risks. In 2000 he jointly started Houston Casualty Company - London Branch, soon becoming Head of Underwriting. He was also Syndicate Underwriter of HCC Syndicates 4040/4141, and at his retirement in 2011 held the positions of Director/Chief Underwriting Officer of HCC International Insurance Co with overall responsibility for underwriting, reinsurance, claims and aggregations across the company.
On 20th December, Johnny Rowell, CEO of the Jubilee group, acquired last year by Pat Ryan’s Ryan Specialty Group, announced that Andreas Loucaides will be leaving with immediate effect to “pursue other interests”. Loucaides joined the group - which includes a Lloyd’s Managing Agent, which manages Syndicates 5820 and 779 - in 2008 as Director of Underwriting, having previously been CEO of Catlin UK.
Judith Hanratty OBE stepped down as a Non-Executive Director of Charles Taylor Consulting (CTC) at the end of 2011.
On 21st December, Willis Group Holdings announced that Grahame J. Millwater, who currently serves as President of Willis Group Holdings and Chairman & CEO of Willis Global, “will retire from the company to pursue other interests”. Millwater - who has been with Willis for over 25 years - will remain with the group in 2012 and will provide consulting support in 2013 to ensure a smooth transition. His responsibilities at the group and business unit level will be assumed in January by senior Willis executives Steve Hearn and Tim Wright. Hearn, who was appointed CEO of Willis Re early last year after serving as Head of Willis’ London Market Wholesale Businesses, will, as of 1st January, serve as Chairman and CEO of Willis Global in addition to his duties as CEO of Willis Re. Hearn will also serve as a member of the Willis Group Operating Committee. In the retail business, Wright, who was appointed CEO of Willis International in October 2011, will, as of 1st January 2012, also oversee Willis UK & Ireland, which is headed by Dan Wilkinson.
Jeremy Hubuck has resigned from Nemi Forsikring AS, Norway. Marine claims are now handled for the Oslo-headquartered insurer by Gunnar Børre Gran.
On 21st December, Catlin Group Limited, Bermuda, announced that Adrian Spieler will join Catlin in February as Group Chief Administrative Officer. In his new role Spieler will be a member of the Group Executive Committee, responsible for information technology, management information and operational support. He will be based in Zurich but will spend considerable time working in London and other Catlin offices. He will report to Catlin Group Chief Executive Stephen Catlin. Catlin said that the appointment allows COO Paul Jardine to spend more time on the functions for which he is responsible, which include claims, outwards reinsurance recovery, rating agency relationships, marketing/communications and investor relations. Spieler had most recently been COO for Swiss Re’s asset management activities in Zurich, New York, London and Bratislava.
Bob Klepper is understood to be leaving speciality insurer Torus where he has been Chief Underwriting Officer. It has been reported, but not confirmed, that he is to join Chartis as Chief Global Property Officer.
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