Ed Announces Series of Appointments and One Departure

Ed, the London-based reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker, has announced several appointments over the past few weeks in the areas of international property and casualty, marine and energy, finance, and underwriting. The company also announced one departure.

Announced on Feb. 14, Namik Gulsun was named head of international property and casualty. Gulsun will work alongside James Venton, head of US property and casualty. He takes up his role with immediate effect and will report to Chris Bonard, CEO of Specialty at Ed.

With almost two decades of experience in the insurance industry, Gulsun joins from Willis Towers Watson where as an executive director he had served as head of Central & Eastern Europe including Turkey & CIS in the direct & facultative (D&F) Europe team under the P/C Division. He began his broking career in 2003 at Aon Benfield.

Chris Bonard, CEO, Ed Specialty, said: “Namik is an excellent addition to our senior team and will play a key part in our international growth. Recognizing that individual markets require individual expertise and understanding is a key part of our strategy and central to the differentiation of Ed’s offering.”

Gulsun, said: “Over the past year Ed has become viewed as a modernizing and disruptive force in the broking sector. I am delighted to be joining a business where there is a clear ambition and strategy to do things differently and the scope to make a genuine difference to both the company and perhaps our industry as a whole. I am delighted to have this opportunity.”

Marine & Energy Reinsurance

On Feb. 8, Ed announced that Andy Wakefield was appointed managing director, Marine and Energy Reinsurance. He will take up his role later in the year and will report to Kieran Angelini-Hurll, CEO of Reinsurance.

Wakefield brings over 25 years’ experience in the marine and energy sector to Ed, the company said. He joins from Willis Re where he served most recently as an executive director, where he focused on European and London market business, Prior to this, Wakefield served as a senior broker at Aon Benfield. He began his career at Tysers.

Angelini-Hurll said: “Andy is an excellent addition to our reinsurance team and the ideal candidate to spearhead the growth of our marine and energy reinsurance offering. This market is primed for a reinsurance broker with global reach which does not compete with its clients. The opportunities for significant and rapid expansion in this sector are clear.”

Chief Financial Officer

On Feb. 1, Ed announced the appointment of Neil Perry as group CFO. He succeeds Russell Benzies who is leaving the group. Perry takes up his new role later in the year and will report to Steve Hearn, group CEO.

With 30 years of financial management experience, Perry joins from Willis Towers Watson where he served as finance director for the retail, London market and reinsurance divisions for nearly a decade. Prior to this, he was finance director of RSA’s Latin America division and RSA’s head of financial planning an analysis. He also has held senior positions at AXA Insurance, Wit Capital, AT Kearney and Beerworth & Partners. He began his career at EY.

Hearn commented that Perry has extensive experience across every continent and “his M&A and strategic planning expertise will be invaluable in achieving our ambitions.”

CEO of Underwriting

On Jan. 25, Ed announced the appointment of Gary Corke as CEO of Underwriting. He will be responsible for managing Ed’s managing general agents (MGAs) across the globe and “developing an integrated global MGA business unit.” Corke takes up his role in February and reports to Steve Hearn, Group CEO.

With 36 years of experience, Corke joins from SHA Specialist Underwriters, the largest casualty MGA in Africa, where he was CEO for four years, said Ed in a statement. Prior to this, Corke co-founded Emerald Underwriting Managers and held the position of CEO for 14 years.

“MGAs are an essential part of Ed’s future and a key pillar in our growth strategy,” said Andrew Wallin, Ed’s group commercial director. “We will grow and develop an integrated global MGA business unit which will allow us to better deploy the expertise and experience across our underwriting businesses.”

“The opportunity to build a truly global MGA business as part of the Ed Group was impossible to pass up,” said Corke. “There is a clear vision and ambition for what this business can become….”

And One Departure

And finally, Ed announced on Jan. 24 that Peter Hacker, the group chief innovation officer, would leave the group to focus on his work and research at Distinction.Global. He joined the company in June 2016, when it was still known as Cooper Gay.

Before he joined Ed, Hacker co-founded Distinction.Global, a specialist advisory unit of the Cyber Crime Institute, an independent global think tank dealing with aspects of cyber crime and cyber security.

Hacker has decided to focus on “insurtech” developments (also known as crypto-technology), and will advise boards, risk stakeholders and risk associations, Ed said.

Steve Hearn, Ed’s Group CEO, said: “I am sad to see Peter leave, I thank him for his invaluable international expertise and wish him all the best for the future.”

Source: Ed

Topics Cyber Europe Underwriting Reinsurance Insurance Wholesale Property Casualty London