Re/insurance group Africa Specialty Risks (ASR) has announced the appointment Sylvain Coutu (pictured above) as head of innovation and sustainability.
In this new role, Coutu will oversee ASR’s parametric insurance offerings, with responsibility for underwriting, business development, and managing the existing portfolio.
His role also includes developing new products and expanding market reach to increase the availability of sustainable parametric solutions in growth markets.
Coutu has over a decade of experience in the insurance industry. Before joining ASR, he was head of agricultural insurance at AXA Climate, where he worked on financial risk solutions for agriculture, forestry, and other natural assets.
Prior to that, he was a senior agriculture underwriter at Swiss Re before moving into a leadership role as head of innovation & special lnes.
Earlier this month, ASR strengthened its parametric division with the addition of Fanny Dunner as underwriter. Based in London, she reports to Coutu and previously held a similar role at Generali.
ASR said that its parametric portfolio has drawn interest across Africa, including following the December 2024 cyclone in Mozambique. The company facilitated payouts to small-business owners in the agricultural sector affected by the storm.
In January, the group also took steps to bolster its Syndicate 2454 with the appointment of Genevieve Ahinful and Suzan Pardesi as deputy active underwriters.
Ahinful currently serves as ASR’s head of political risk and trade credit (PRTC). She joined the company in 2020 and brings more than 20 years of industry experience. Pardesi, ASR’s head of energy, also joined the firm in November 2020.
In December, ASR announced that ASR Middle East has begun operating as a Lloyd’s service company.
The development enables the firm to underwrite business in Dubai on behalf of ASR Syndicate 2454, the first Lloyd’s syndicate focused on African risks.
What are your thoughts on this story? Please feel free to share your comments below.
