Intelligent Insurer News

UK-based specialist motor insurer ERS is launching an underwriting academy in Swansea, relocating a number of roles to the city from London and the South East.

Insurance leaders in Africa remain cautious about business growth despite market stabilisation following the economic downturn of 2015/16, a survey of insurance CEOs has found.

Advances in technology and the new reality it has created “cannot act as a brake on economic and social development”, Mapfre chairman and CEO Antonio Huertas told the International Conference of Mapfre Global Risks last week.

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has appointed Steve McMurray as new chief financial officer (CFO) with immediate effect.

Brokerslink, a global network of independent brokers, has appointed Tiago Mora as the new regional manager for Middle East and Africa (MEA).

Zurich Insurance Group has launched a new initiative to transform and spearhead its digital customer experience, and help drive profitable growth in the future.

Specialist insurer QBE North America has appointed Kris Hill as president of alternative markets, the company's largest business groups in North America which includes programme business, its affiliated agent personal lines business, and its wholly owned Westwood Insurance Agency subsidiary.

London-based iprism, a technology-driven specialist wholesale underwriting agency, has hired Manuela Roncalli as finance director.

PERILS has updated its loss estimate for extratropical cyclone Dragi-Eberhard with a revised figure of €798 million. This is an increase from the initial loss of €740 million, which was issued by Perils on the 18th of April 2019.

Global reinsurance pricing is “a firming market” rather than a hard one, according to S&P Global, which suggested that “green shoots” could be on the way for reinsurers in 2019.

Technology-driven risk solutions provider Sedgwick has appointed Bob Neo as director of its Singapore operations.

Swiss Re is moving forward with its planned initial public offering (IPO) of UK closed life book business ReAssure.

European life insurer Athora and Netherlands’ NN Group have teamed up to acquire Dutch insurer Vivat, which was put up for sale last year by Chinese owner Anbang Group Holdings.

American International Group (AIG) has hired a senior executive from Accenture to enhance its general insurance’s business and technology operations infrastructure as well as align end-to-end processes with target operating models.

HCI Group, a provider of property/casualty insurance in Florida, has completed its 2019-2020 catastrophe reinsurance programme, securing a total limit of $1.477 billion.

Broker Willis Towers Watson has unveiled a new venture capital arm focused on investing in start-ups, and created a growth board to help drive innovation at the company.

Blackboard Insurance, a subsidiary of American International Group (AIG), has hired QBE's Uwe Schoberth to expand market relationships and drive its go-to-market strategy.

US-based insurance and financial services provider Nationwide has named Kirt Walker as chief executive officer-elect, succeeding CEO Steve Rasmussen who is set to retire in the fall.

Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings has appointed Meredith Head as head of North American property catastrophe at its reinsurance segment Aspen Re. He will be based in Bermuda and join in September 2019.

Re/insurance software provider Eurobase has appointed Mark Broadhurst as group director insurance and member of the board.