Several insurance companies have made leadership changes as part of their growth strategy.
Gallagher has appointed Stephen Smith as managing director of broking and placement for its UK and Ireland Retail division. Smith will now join the UK & Ireland executive team led by CEO Nick Harris.
Previously head of regional broking and placement, Smith led the company’s regional broking teams across southern England. He joined Gallagher in 2019 through the acquisition of Stackhouse Poland, where he was group placement director and held various leadership roles over eight years
In his new role, Smith will be responsible for leading Gallagher UK & Ireland’s retail broking strategy and overseeing insurance placements across 500 markets. He will manage a team of around 80 broking and placement specialists within Gallagher’s UK & Ireland branch network and work closely with insurers to support clients.
Commenting on his appointment, Smith said: “Having been part of Gallagher’s success story and broking team since 2019, I’m delighted to be taking on this role to lead the broking and placement strategy right across our UK & Ireland retail division.”
Legal expenses and assistance insurer ARAG has announced that Nathan Holt will take over as director of underwriting following David Haynes’ appointment as CEO in April.
Holt will have overall underwriting responsibility for ARAG’s before-the-event (BTE) and after-the-event (ATE) insurance and assistance products and will join the UK executive management committee. His appointment is subject to regulatory approval.
He most recently served as ARAG’s head of BTE and ATE underwriting. Before joining ARAG, he held several underwriting roles at DAS, bringing nearly 25 years of experience in sales and underwriting at DAS, Lockton and RSA.
“Nathan has already proven himself to be a great addition to the ARAG team and has a huge amount of experience and an impressive track record, so I’m delighted to welcome him on to the executive management committee,” incoming CEO David Haynes commented.
Holt will assume his new role from April 1.
Willis, a WTW business, has appointed Kate Harb as global data strategy leader and Dermot Sargent as global digital platforms leader.
As global data strategy leader, Harb will lead efforts to establish a data strategy across Willis, covering data acquisition, optimisation and generative AI capabilities.
Sargent, as global digital platforms leader, will oversee the development of Willis’ digital infrastructure, including the expansion of its broking platform.
Harb has been with WTW for over 20 years, holding roles such as chief of staff for risk & broking and director of strategy for global construction. Meanwhile, Sargent has 30 years of market experience, having joined WTW in 2022 after nine years at Aon, where he was chief broking officer. He previously held global placement roles at Marsh.
Euclid Transactional, a managing general agent specialising in transactional insurance underwriting and claims handling, has announced global promotions across its regions and functions.
In EMEA, Dave Luckett and Crystal Png have been promoted to chief underwriting officer for the EEA and the UK & London Markets, respectively. Lucy Darbey has been promoted to chief distribution officer EMEA and APAC, while Daniel Moesinger has been promoted to senior vice president, head of DACH.
In North America, Corey Connelly, Hasnaa El Rhermoul and Sean Kim have been promoted to managing director, with Kim Heessels assuming the role of managing director, head of secondaries. In APAC, Alice Ho has been appointed managing director, head of APC.
On the claims team, Brittany Zimmer has been promoted to deputy general counsel and managing director of claims. Rose Kenerson and Nick Morales have been appointed associate general counsel and managing director of claims.
These promotions are among 47 title and responsibility increases, which the company stated reflect its focus on retaining talent and delivering client service.
