People Moves: Canopius Names Newman UK CEO; Gibson Named Sedgwick’s UK CEO

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Canopius Group and Sedgwick.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Canopius Promotes Newman to UK CEO

Canopius Group, the London-based specialty re/insurer, announced the appointment of Mark Newman as chief executive officer for the UK. Newman takes up his new role from Jan. 1, 2024, transitioning from his current role as CEO for the Asia Pacific region.

Newman will also join the Board of Directors of Canopius Managing Agents (CMA), subsequent to approval by the UK’s Prudential Regulation Authority. Interim UK CEO Kate Roy will step down from the position on Dec. 31, 2023 and retains her role as group chief operating officer.

Canopius is now actively shortlisting both internal and external candidates to succeed Newman in the role of APAC CEO. Newman will continue to support the region in the interim and beyond, to ensure a smooth continuation of leadership.

Newman takes up the UK CEO position after seven years with the business, having joined Canopius as APAC CEO in 2016 and joining the global leadership team in 2021. He has been a Canopius Asia Pte. Ltd (CAPL) board member and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) approved principal officer since 2016.

During his time as head of Canopius APAC, the unit has increased revenue five-fold, and the business has exceeded all key performance indicators in its strategic plan, cementing its position as the largest Lloyd’s managing agent in the region.

Prior to Canopius, Newman held a series of leadership positions over his three-decade career, with 20 of those years at chief executive level. He took on the role of CEO Guy Carpenter Fac Asia Pacific in 2000, before moving to the formerly known Catlin as CEO APAC in 2008. He later became head of Asia and Deputy CEO Asia at XL Catlin between 2015 and 2016, based in Singapore.

Newman has been an elected member and group chair of the Asia Pacific Market Group (APMG) since 2019. He was re-elected to serve the interests of Lloyd’s managing agents in the region in 2022, for his second three-year term.

“We are thrilled that Mark will be taking over the leadership of our UK business. He has led the successful evolution of our APAC operations, exceeding the five-year growth plan for our Singapore and Australia businesses,” commented Neil Robertson, Canopius Group CEO.

“He has proven himself to be the right candidate to take on the role of UK CEO, and I’m confident that he will build on his strong track record and assist our UK teams execute their growth plans.”

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Sedgwick Appoints Gibson as UK CEO

Sedgwick, the Memphis, Tenn.-based loss adjuster, has named Neil Gibson its CEO in the UK.

Gibson most recently served as COO of Sedgwick’s operations in the UK, New Zealand, Middle East, Africa and Asia. He brings to his new role more than 18 years of insurance industry leadership experience and decades of operational claims management and colleague development expertise. Gibson also serves on Sedgwick’s global environmental, social and governance (ESG) committee.

With Gibson’s appointment, Paul White — who has been serving as Sedgwick CEO for the UK, New Zealand, Middle East, Africa and Asia — will retain oversight of Sedgwick’s business in the UK and other international territories as regional CEO.

“Given Neil’s successful four-year tenure as COO, he is the natural choice to lead and drive our UK business to the next level,” White said. “His industry experience and outstanding knowledge of our local business will serve him well in delivering the best possible service to our clients, and his involvement in Sedgwick’s activities will pave the way for his continued success. Neil brings significant value to his new position as Sedgwick continues to invest in the UK market.”