Several major players in the insurance and broking sector have announced senior leadership changes this week, highlighting a continued focus on enhancing claims operations, delegated underwriting expertise, and risk governance frameworks.
WTW Strengthens London Market Claims Leadership
Willis, part of WTW, has appointed Adrian Cousins to the newly created role of Head of London Market Claims. In this capacity, Cousins will oversee WTW’s claims strategy within the London market, managing critical relationships with insurers, reinsurers, adjusters, and legal professionals.
Cousins will report to Neil Harrison, Global Head of Claims at WTW, while retaining his existing responsibilities as Head of Claims for FINEX across Great Britain, Western Europe, and international markets, reporting to Jeremy Wall, Global Head of FINEX.
This appointment follows another senior move in May, when Brian Vosloh was named Head of Cyber for the EMEA region.
Consilium Expands Delegated Risk Expertise with Senior Hire
Consilium, the specialty re/insurance broker within the Aventum Group, has appointed George Besant as Partner in its Delegated Risk Solutions Division. Besant joins from Superscript, where he served as Head of Capacity, and brings over 13 years of experience across underwriting and capacity placement.
His career includes roles at Capsicum Re, Arthur J Gallagher, and Pen Underwriting. He is expected to play a key role in supporting the development of MGA portfolios and capacity strategies across multiple regions including the UK, US, South Africa, and Australasia.
In addition to focusing on product development and capacity sourcing, Besant will also support Consilium’s partnership with Rokstone Underwriting, an Aventum-owned MGA.
Earlier this year, Consilium also bolstered its professional and executive risks division with the appointment of Ethan Godlieb as Associate Partner to lead its cyber, tech, and fintech practice.
Barnett Waddingham Appoints New Chief Risk Officer
Barnett Waddingham (BW) has named Rob Byett as its new Chief Risk Officer, following its recent acquisition by Howden. With more than two decades of experience in financial services risk and compliance, Byett will lead risk and governance efforts across BW and Howden’s global employee benefits operations.
Previously, Byett held senior roles at Jelf Group as Group Compliance Director and at Deloitte in an advisory capacity. He will also join BW’s management board and the Health & Employee Benefits board of Howden.
His appointment comes as Zoe Smith, Partner and former Head of Governance at BW, retires from the firm.
