First Central Group has made a trio of senior appointments.
First off, Ben Tomasetti (pictured, above) has come onboard to serve as chief commercial officer and shape the insurer’s digital and retail pricing programmes. Tomasetti – whose career spans product development, marketing, insurance retail, and underwriting – will also focus on broader areas of strategic change.
The new chief commercial officer’s experience includes time spent at the likes of BGL, Castle Cover, and Hastings Direct. Based at First Central’s West Sussex office, Tomasetti replaces Andy James who has left the company to pursue new opportunities.
Thanking James for his seven years of dedicated service, First Central said in a statement: “The business is extremely grateful for Andy’s contribution and wishes him the very best for the future.”
Meanwhile Gareth Howell (pictured, below) has been named chief underwriting officer in charge of leading the technical functions at First Central. He started his pricing and underwriting career at Zurich where he worked for 11 years.
In 2012 Howell moved to AXA and most recently operated at executive level with end-to-end responsibility for the personal lines businesses.
Also joining First Central is counter-fraud director Paul Priestley, who made the switch from Hastings Direct. The fraud market expert brings proven know-how in the best tools, techniques, and strategies and will build on First Central’s existing fraud prevention credentials.
“This is an exciting time for the insurance sector, with a rapidly evolving landscape to consider, and it’s important we adapt and position ourselves for success, developing new technologies to drive growth,” commented chief executive Michael Lee.
“Ben, Gareth, and Paul are key additions to our senior team. I’m looking forward to working with them all closely, as we continue to build upon the success of the business.”
