Round-up of the weekly news and developments from the global (re)insurance market with stories from Guy Carpenter, AGCS, PartnerRe and more.

Guy Carpenter names David Arthur head actuary for UK non-specialty business

Guy Carpenter & Company, a global risk and reinsurance specialist and a business of Marsh McLennan, has announced the appointment of David Arthur as head actuary of its UK non-specialty business which encompasses global casualty, accident & health, UK property and UK motor, effective October 2021.

In his new role, he will have responsibility for the oversight of all actuarial activities within the UK business units and will lead the development of the analytical and pricing capabilities.

Based in London, he will report to Richard Rodriguez, head of analytics and advisory, UK and Global Specialties, Guy Carpenter.

Arthur joins the business from Brit Insurance where he was most recently a senior pricing manager, leading the firm’s actuarial teams with a particular focus on market intelligence, analytics and pricing for delegated business. Previously, he was head of pricing at Advent Insurance and held a number of lead actuarial roles at QBE Insurance.

Kevin Fisher, chairman, UK, global specialties & London North America, Guy Carpenter, said: “With over 15 years of actuarial experience in the insurance sector, David brings an invaluable level of pricing knowledge and analytical insight to our team. He will play a central role in the ongoing advancement of our actuarial capabilities and support the effective and efficient delivery of high quality, insight-driven solutions for our clients.”

Scott Sayce joins AGCS as global head of cyber

Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty (AGCS) has announced the appointment of Scott Sayce as global head of cyber, effective 1 September 2021.

Based in London, he will be responsible for steering AGCS’s cyber underwriting business as well as leading the group-wide Cyber Centre of Competence of Allianz which is embedded into AGCS.

Sayce will report to Shanil Williams, global head of financial lines, and will succeed Dr. Catharine Richter, current global head of Cyber Centre of Competence for AGCS and Allianz Group, who will move into a new role within Allianz Group.

He joins the business from AXA where he has held various increasingly senior leadership roles after joining in 2017. He started out as global chief underwriting officer cyber within AXA’s corporate solutions division, while also being group chief underwriting officer for Cyber.

In 2018 he was appointed group head of cyber, and subsequently, group head of financial lines and cyber. Prior to AXA, Sayce was the head of the cyber, technology and life science divisions for CNA Hardy.

Tony Buckle, AGCS’s chief underwriting officer corporate says: “A huge thank you to Catharina Richter for her leadership of the Cyber Centre of Competence and her contribution to the further evolution of our cyber underwriting approach and product offering. A warm welcome also to Scott Sayce – he is a leading expert in the field of cyber underwriting, with significant global experience and he will help drive this key part of our business forward for AGCS and for the wider Allianz Group.”

António Horta-Osório joins PartnerRe’s board as independent director

Reinsurer PartnerRe has appointed António Horta – Osório to its board of directors as an independent director, effective 27 May 2021.

Horta – Osório joins PartnerRe’s board and will also become chairman of the investment committee as well as a member of the underwriting and risk committee.

He currently serves as chairman of Credit Suisse’s board having been appointed in April 2021. Prior to that, he served on the board of Exor N.V as a non-executive director from July 2015 until May 2021, as group chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group and as an executive director on the board from 2011 until April 2021. He was also the chief executive of Santander UK plc and executive vice president of Grupo Santander.

Brian Dowd, PartnerRe board chairman, said: “On behalf of the Board, Jacques Bonneau and I are pleased to welcome António.  His experience in the Financial Services sector spans over 34 years and he brings a depth and breadth of expertise that will further enhance the strength of the PartnerRe Board.”

With this change, the PartnerRe Ltd. Board comprises six directors of which four are independent from the Company.

Erica Fletcher appointed global head of diversity & inclusion at Hiscox

Specialist global insurer, Hiscox, has appointed Erica Fletcher as its new global head of diversity and inclusion.

In her new role, she will be based in Atlanta and report to Laila Gillies, Hiscox’s US HR director. Fletcher will be responsible for building on a D&I programme that’s been running since 2017 with the goal of cultivating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation.

Prior to joining Hiscox, Fletcher held a global D&I leadership role at Avanade – a joint venture between Accenture and Microsoft, where she designed strategies that improved diversity across the organisation.

Kate Markham, chief executive for Hiscox London Market and executive sponsor of D&I at Hiscox, said: “While we’ve made a positive start to our D&I journey – such as the launch of 12 global employee run networks providing a forum for focused discussion, including groups for LGBT+, Pan-African, and mental health and well-being – we know we can go much further.

“Erica brings great experience and vision to help us build on our D&I foundations and allow everyone who works here to be comfortable being themselves and have the opportunity to thrive whatever their background, or how they choose to live their lives.”

Fletcher comments: “Hiscox has committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and I’m looking forward to progressing the many initiatives already in place as well as introducing new ideas that can help the business meet its D&I aims. It’s an exciting brand to work for and it is evident that there is widespread support and recognition for what an effective D&I agenda can achieve in terms of talent retention and recruitment, but also in delivering products and services more reflective of a changing society.”

Aviva UK appoints Adam Winslow as CEO for UK & Ireland general insurance

Aviva has announced the appointment of Adam Winslow as chief executive officer, UK & Ireland General Insurance, effective immediately.

Winslow has over two decades of experience in the general and life insurance industry, including roles at AIG and Allianz. He brings senior management experience in personal and commercial lines, across operations and broker relationships.

Earlier in his career, he served as director of partnership and director of retail at Aviva, where he was responsible for running some of the firm’s most significant general insurance partnerships.

Winslow was most recently CEO of Aviva’s international businesses, responsible for overseeing Aviva’s successful strategic divestment programme.

In his new role, he will continue to report to Amanda Blanc, Aviva group CEO and be a member of Aviva’s group executive committee. He replaces Colm Holmes who is leaving Aviva for other opportunities.

Amanda Blanc, group chief executive officer, said: “Aviva is a market leader in General Insurance in the UK & Ireland, with significant ambitions for growth as we transform the performance of our core businesses following the reshaping of the Group.

“Adam’s talent and capability have been amply demonstrated in his leadership of our successful programme of eight divestments over the past eight months. Having now concluded the strategic refocusing of our portfolio, I am delighted to appoint him to this pivotal role, and his next challenge in Aviva.”

Winslow added: “The General Insurance business in the UK and Ireland is an area of huge strength for Aviva, but also a business with exciting growth potential that I want to help realise. I’m looking forward to getting after that growth, working closely with our important broker partners, and supporting the delivery of our strategy.”