Specialist insurance provider CFC has announced the opening of its first office in Spain. This expansion follows the company’s earlier growth in North America and Australia in 2024.
The company explained that the new Madrid-based office marks a further step in CFC’s strategy to expand its global presence, allowing it to build closer relationships and offer local expertise to its broker partners in key regions worldwide.
Louise O’Shea (pictured above), group CEO of CFC, commented on the decision to establish a presence in Spain, noting the company’s long-standing relationships with brokers in Spain and Southern Europe.
“We’ve built a strong network of brokers throughout Spain and Southern Europe over the past two decades and are experiencing increasing demand for our products and services. To meet that demand and further develop our client base throughout the country, it is the right time to establish boots on the ground,” O’Shea said.
O’Shea further explained that the Madrid office would serve as a hub to expand CFC’s presence across Southern Europe, particularly focusing on cyber and transaction liability in the Spanish, Italian, and French markets.
She highlighted the region’s growing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market, particularly in Spain, and the increasing importance of cyber insurance for large corporations. According to O’Shea, having a team fluent in local languages and able to deliver customised policy wordings would help CFC expand its market share across the region.
Leading the development of this new regional hub is Filippo Cibin, who has been appointed team leader for Southern Europe in CFC’s transaction liability business. Cibin brings over a decade of experience in underwriting M&A and financial lines insurance products, having worked across Spain, Italy, and Germany with companies including DUAL, Tokio Marine HCC, and Fusion Specialty.
Joining Cibin is Jorge Nieto Luque as senior underwriter, focusing on transaction liability, tax, and legal contingency insurance for Southern Europe. Luque has over six years of experience in transaction liability insurance, having previously worked as an underwriter at DUAL and a broker at Marsh in Madrid. Before entering the insurance sector, he was an M&A lawyer.
The team also includes Oliver Berridge, who has been appointed senior underwriter. Berridge, with nearly 10 years of insurance industry experience, specialises in M&A underwriting and is fluent in French, having been educated in France.
“CFC has a strong reputation for delivering outstanding service to brokers and their customers. By combining that service ethic with CFC’s market-leading technology and relentless drive to innovate, I am confident that Jorge, Oliver, and I can add even greater value to our partners not only here in Spain but across Europe,” Cibin said.
In addition, Ilaria Salvato has joined CFC from Beazley as cyber European team leader. Salvato, fluent in Spanish, Italian, and English, brings 14 years of experience in the insurance industry, having begun her career at one of Italy’s leading law firms before moving into cyber underwriting.
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