Claire McDonald (pictured) is joining HDI Global SE to serve as managing director of its UK and Ireland operations.
Effective March 18, the appointment will see McDonald make the switch from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) where she most recently held the roles of global head of operations and Allianz Multinational global practice leader. Sharing the news on LinkedIn, McDonald posted: “Thank you to Allianz and all my amazing colleagues for a fantastic 31 years; ready for a new challenge.”
Meanwhile, in a release, HDI said Alan Waters has been named as interim UK and Ireland MD effective immediately. A member of the UK and Ireland executive committee, Waters has worked for the Talanx Group firm as director of corporate risks for more than eight years.
The appointments come following Richard Taylor’s move to new specialty lines insurer HDI Global Specialty SE where he assumed the positions of chief marketing officer and UK managing director. Taylor is McDonald’s predecessor at HDI.
“We are delighted to have attracted a leader of Claire’s calibre,” commented HDI executive board member Jens Wohlthat. “She combines strong insurance industry knowledge with proven operational skills and expertise that will be important to us as we focus on delivering our strategic growth and business opportunity targets in the region.
“I am very pleased that Alan has agreed to step up at this time. He is a true insurance professional with many years of experience in the market. His knowledge and in depth understanding of our UK and Irish businesses will provide strong leadership in the interim period, and a seamless handover in due course.”
Meanwhile Wohlthat also expressed his gratitude for Taylor’s time at HDI.
“Richard has served the company as our UK and Ireland managing director for over 10 years,” he said. “I would like to thank him for his dedication and very successful work and we wish him every success in his new role within HDI Global Specialty SE.”
HDI Global Specialty SE, which started trading on January 01, was created from the merging of the specialty lines activities of HDI and Hannover Re.
