A series of senior appointments have been announced across the insurance sector, with Gallagher, The Fidelis Partnership (TFP), and Pikl all making strategic hires to support their growth and operational goals.
Gallagher has named Harshiv Thakerar (pictured above, left) as head of disputes risk for the Middle East. Based in the region, Thakerar will be responsible for growing Gallagher’s dispute resolution practice across the Middle East and Africa.
He will operate as part of the firm’s broader global disputes team, which includes its London-based unit ranked Band One by Chambers & Partners.
Thakerar, a qualified solicitor, previously served as chief investment officer and board director at legal finance and risk management firm Asertis. His background includes roles as partner and head of litigation at global growth cap and work at Augusta Ventures.
At Gallagher, Thakerar will work with law firms, litigation funders and other financial institutions to offer dispute resolution and investment insurance products. These include after-the-event (ATE) insurance and contingent legal risk cover designed to protect clients from the financial exposure of legal proceedings.
He will report to Daniel Miller, executive director, financial lines and M&A for the Middle East and Africa, and will collaborate with the London-based team led by Steve Jones, managing director of M&A, litigation and transactional solutions. He will also coordinate with Colin Everson, head of litigation & arbitration, who joined Gallagher in September 2024.
In March, Gallagher also appointed Stephen Smith as managing director of broking and placement for its UK and Ireland Retail division.
TFP has appointed Suzanne Wells as chief operating officer and Erik Manning as head of ceded reinsurance. Manning begins his role in April, while Wells will join in July.
Wells will be based in London and arrives from Arch Insurance International, where she was deputy COO. At Arch, she managed UK functions including operational processes, underwriting operations, and strategic portfolio initiatives. She previously spent a decade at Aviva and is a chartered accountant.
The appointments come as TFP’s MGA platform, Pine Walk, continues to grow. With gross written premium approaching US$1 billion and further expansion plans for 2025, including the launch of Sevanta and an A&H cell, Rinku Patel will now focus exclusively on his role as CEO of Pine Walk.
Manning, who will be based in Bermuda, joins from BMS and has held roles at Miller, Aon and Guy Carpenter. He will work closely with Doug Somerville, head of capacity and ceded reinsurance placement, and concentrate on strategic partnerships, capital markets, retrocession and index products.
Earlier this month, the company also appointed Jonny Strickle as group managing director, a role in which he will oversee the integration of actuarial, capital, underwriting, and risk functions.
Pikl has named Steve McGuinness (pictured above, middle) as chief operating officer and James Everett (pictured above, right) as chief underwriting officer, as it moves forward with its growth strategy following the 2023 launch of its B2B short-term rental insurance proposition.
Everett was previously deputy head of underwriting at Canopius Group. He brings experience in the London and specialty markets, particularly in vacation rental and holiday let insurance. At Pikl, he will lead efforts across capacity management, underwriting and pricing strategy.
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