People Moves: Trueman Joins CFC as CUO After Recent Management Shakeup; Aon Promotes Kielty to UK CEO; QBE Re Taps AXIS’ DeSilva as Specialty Underwriter

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at CFC, Aon and QBE Re.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Trueman Joins CFC as CUO After Recent Management Shakeup

CFC, the specialist managing general agent, announced that Dan Trueman has joined the business as chief underwriting officer (CUO).

After the company’s recent management shakeup, the current CUO, Andy Holmes, will be assuming the role of chief executive officer.

It was announced in November that David Walsh, CFC’s founder and group CEO, was leaving the business in January 2024, while Graeme Newman, CEO of CFC Underwriting, will be leaving the company in April. They are exiting the company following the completion of an investigation by Lloyd’s into allegations of non-financial misconduct. The reasons for their departure were not disclosed by CFC, but it is understood that the action was taken against the company, not the two individual chief executives.

It was also announced at the time that Trueman would be joining CFC as CUO on Jan. 1, 2024, after previously serving as global head of Cyber at AXIS Insurance.

Under Trueman’s leadership, AXIS’ cyber team became one of the foremost cyber underwriting teams globally, said CFC. Trueman held this role for more than six years following AXIS’ 2017 acquisition of Lloyd’s carrier Novae, where he had served as chief innovation officer.

“Dan’s expertise in innovation will add huge value to our business going forward. Innovation is in our DNA and runs through every class of business and every product we write. I have no doubt that he will play a pivotal role in helping CFC identify new niche areas where we can add value and work with our underwriters to ensure we write profitable and sustainable business,” Holmes commented. “Dan has also been a key figure in cyber for many years and his experience in this sector will clearly prove invaluable given our position as one of the world’s leading cyber markets.”

“I am thrilled to be joining CFC and to work with such an exciting leadership team. It is recognised as a leading speciality underwriting business that’s consistently responding to the changing risk climate through its innovative products and approach,” Trueman said.

“As well-respected pioneers in emerging risk, I’m also looking forward to collaborating with CFC’s experienced and talented teams as we continue its impressive growth journey,” he added.

Headquartered in London with offices in New York, San Francisco, Austin, Brussels and Brisbane, CFC has over 850 employees and is trusted by more than 130,000 businesses in 90 countries.

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Aon Promotes Kielty to UK CEO

Insurance broker Aon plc announced the promotion of Jane Kielty to UK chief executive officer. Kielty will be part of the EMEA Leadership Team and reports to Julie Page, CEO of EMEA.

With more than 20 years of experience in risk and insurance, Kielty joined Aon in 2005 and became the UK firm’s chief commercial officer in 2021, progressing to head of Commercial Risk UK in 2022. In these positions, Kielty has played a pivotal part in ensuring Aon can consistently offer best-in-class service to clients and the market.

She has also served as deputy chair of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) and chair of the Insurance Broking Standards Committee since last year, where she has represented Aon and its clients’ interests on many key matters.

“Jane’s track record of strong leadership over many years at Aon, makes her ideally positioned to lead the UK as we go further, faster on accelerating our Aon United strategy. We are in a great place to further unlock the collective potential of our capabilities to create value for our clients and I have no doubt that in this role, Jane will help our UK business continue to thrive,” commented Page.

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QBE Re Taps DeSilva From AXIS as Specialty Underwriter

The Bermuda division of QBE Re has appointed Carmen DeSilva as vice president – specialty underwriter.

DeSilva has more than 15 years of experience working across property and specialty underwriting in Bermuda, previously holding roles at Platinum Underwriters and AXIS Specialty.

She joins QBE Re from AXIS where she spent more than 11 years in roles of increasing seniority, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Building out the Bermuda Specialty reinsurance capabilities, DeSilva will also help to develop QBE Re’s global specialty offering in addition to the QBE Re franchise with cedants and brokers.

DeSilva will be based in the Bermuda office and the position is effective from today.

Tracey Gibbons, head of QBE Re Bermuda, commented: “We are pleased to welcome Carmen to the Bermuda and Global team. She joins us with a diverse skillset across specialty and property fields, including underwriting, portfolio construction and client relationship management. She will play a crucial role as we look to expand our footprint on the island and evolve our offering to our global client base.”

Topics Excess Surplus Underwriting Aon