Round-up of the weekly news and developments from the global (re)insurance market with stories from Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, Gallagher, HDI Global Specialty SE and more.
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions appoints Scheidegger as chief claims officer
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions announced that Marc Scheidegger is set to join the company as chief claims officer, effective 1 June 2020.
He will relocate from Paris to Zurich and report to Andreas Berger, CEO Swiss Re Corporate Solutions.
In his new role, Scheidegger will lead an experienced team of claims professionals in delivering customer-focused claims service and upholding the Corporate Solutions Claims Commitment.
Scheidegger will be responsible for ensuring claims handling and reserving processes are met and maintain open dialogue with Underwriting, Actuarial, Finance and other functions to provide claims intelligence that will better serve customers. He will also focus on people to ensure Corporate Solutions is attracting and developing talent.
He brings over 24 years of insurance experience, most recently serving as claims director for Continental Europe at Chubb.
Scheidegger succeeds James George who has decided to pursue other opportunities outside of Swiss Re. George will step down as Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ chief claims officer as of 1 April 2020 after 25 years with the company. In the interim Berger will fill the role between 1 April and 1 June and George will continue to work until June 2020 to ensure a seamless transition.
Berger, CEO Swiss Re Corporate Solutions commented: “I'm very excited that Marc will join our team and help us continue to provide efficient, best-in-class claims service that gives customers peace of mind. His customer-centricity aligns with our aspiration to improve the customer experience and his expertise will support our journey to advance corporate insurance together."
Berger added: "I'd like to thank Jim for his hard work and passion over his long tenure. Under his leadership, Claims continued its move to a market-facing function that clearly differentiated our offering. Jim's notable contributions, such as our industry-leading Claims Commitment, give Marc and the rest of the Claims organization a solid foundation to build upon as we transform CorSo into a business that sets new standards and leads the industry forward."
Gallagher announces key leadership changes
Global (re)insurance brokerage Gallagher announced that Jonathan Tuner will become CEO of its UK domiciles Specialty operations with current CEO, John Thompson taking on a new role as head of business development for the UK division.
As part of the internal leadership changes, Tom Downey will be promoted to CEO for Pen Underwriting, succeeding Turner having previously been chief underwriting officer for the division since 2017.
The new business development role reflects the significant growth in recent times within its Specialty segment which also includes the acquisition of JLT Global Aerospace team. This role will have a focus on talent acquisition, M&A opportunities, product development, and relationships with carriers and wholesale third party partners.
Simon Matson, CEO of Gallagher’s broking and underwriting business in the UK, said: “Our Specialty division has undergone considerable growth in the past 12 months and is now almost unrecognisable having doubled in size over the last five years and firmly establishing itself as a leading London Specialty Broker. Having a dedicated head of business development, particularly one with John’s broking experience, wholesale expertise and passion for growth, will ensure we take full advantage of the many opportunities our enlarged presence and portfolio gives us. Jonathan is an exceptional leader, as he has demonstrated during his three years as CEO of Pen, making him the natural choice to become the new CEO of our Specialty division and to lead the 950-strong team through the next phase of our growth strategy.”
Adding: “Our underwriting footprint has also undergone incredible change in the last decade. Five years ago we brought together 12 specialist MGAs to create a virtual insurer in Pen Underwriting, a business that we are incredibly proud of. As Chief Underwriting Officer, Tom has been at the centre of that transformation and is well deserving of this promotion to the top job as Chief Executive for Pen Underwriting. It speaks volumes about the quality of our senior leadership that we are making these senior team changes from within our own internal talent pool.”
HDI Global Specialty SE promotes Frida Kangasniemi to head of airline
HDI Global Specialty SE have announced the promotion of Frida Kangasniemi to head of airline, replacing Thomas Broms who retired at the end of 2019.
Based in Stockholm, Kangasniemi and her team will be responsible for underwriting the worldwide airline portfolio of HDI Global Specialty.
Kangasniemi has 16 years’ experience working in the aviation market. She joined HDI Global Specialty (previously Inter Hannover) from Willis Aerospace in 2009.
Mats Westerborn, managing director for HDI Global Specialty SE Scandinavian Branch, the main hub for aviation in the group, said: “International Airline Insurance is the largest portfolio within HDI Global Specialty’s aviation business. We have been writing this out of Stockholm since 1970, thus celebrating our 50th anniversary this year,”
“I am confident and pleased that we can build on the legacy of Thomas Broms’ long and successful career and pass the responsibility for this important portfolio to Frida’s capable hands.”
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions names Caroline Pritchard as head distribution UK
Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, the commercial arm of reinsurer Swiss Re has announced the appointment of Caroline Pritchard as head distribution UK.
Based in London, Pritchard will be responsible for driving the execution of the firm’s broker strategy in the UK market, representing all Swiss Re Corporate Solutions’ products and solutions towards its commercial insurance broker network. She is set to assume the role once contractual obligations are fulfilled.
Pritchard brings more than 25 years’ experience in the commercial insurance sector in the region and has held various leadership roles with brokers and commercial insurers having spent a decade working at Zurich.
Jake Algar, head UK, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, said: "I am delighted that Caroline will join our Customer & Distribution Management team. She has a longstanding career in successfully nurturing strong collaboration with broker partners and, with her on board, we'll advance our go-to-market distribution strategy for the UK.”
David Merry joins as head of Besso Re
London headquartered insurance broker, Besso insurance group has named David Merry as head of Besso Re.
Merry joins with over 3 decades of experience as a broker in both the London and international wholesale insurance markets. He joined the business in 2018 to explore strategic growth and development opportunities for Besso group.
The broker’s reinsurance arm, Besso Re, will have a focus on facultative reinsurance and products for international wholesale P&C for large commercial insureds, complimenting the firms existing capabilities of its international unit.
The broker explains that Besso Re has been recruiting high calibre practitioners that bring significant facultative reinsurance and large account experience. They will work closely with the firm’s other divisions to offer a seamless server to clients exploiting all facets of the D&F market.
The team, which is expected to continue to expand in the coming months, includes Ross Beeden as a divisional director, Andrew Coleman as operations director, Nikki Melbourne as a divisional director, Rob Pound as divisional director, Simon Richardson as a divisional director and Jason Savage as executive director.
Commenting on his new role, Merry said: “Facultative reinsurance is an area where we can bring additional value to our clients, complementing our wholesale offering and working across Besso teams to provide cogent solutions for our clients in a challenging market.
“We know that there is keen client demand for brokers offering an independent view combined with relevant scale and that is exactly what we provide without the constriction of organisational silos. It is encouraging to see our approach attracting talented individuals who share our straightforward view of how to extract maximum performance across Besso Re to the benefit of our clients.”
Tokio Marine Kiln hires Charlotte Pritchard within Special Risks division
Specialist and corporate insurer, Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK) has expanded its Special Risks team by appointing Charlotte Pritchard as an underwriter, reporting to Edward Parker, head of special risks.
In her new role, she will focus on all aspects of special risks, including political violence and increasing the growth of TMK’s terrorism book.
Pritchard has worked in the London market for 13 years and most recently served as an underwriter at Barbican Insurance group since 2017 specialising in malicious acts including terrorism and political violence. Before this, Pritchard was at Canopius for 11 years where she focused on a broad range of special risks including political risk, trade credit, terrorism and political violence.
Parker said: “TMK has been writing special risks for more than three decades and we are committed to developing our presence in this field. Charlotte brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team within a specialism that is of growing importance to our clients, which will enable us to continue to deliver the highest standard of underwriting.”