Senior leadership appointments this week include a new addition to Gallagher’s Private Equity and M&A (PEMA) practice in Iberia and the appointment of a new chief human resources officer at Bermuda-based specialty insurer SiriusPoint.
Gallagher appoints Manuel Gómez González to lead Iberia W&I
Gallagher has appointed Manuel Gómez González as director of warranty and indemnity (W&I), transaction solutions, Iberia, within its global Private Equity and M&A practice.
Based in Madrid, Gómez González will have responsibility across Iberia and report to Cristina Chaparro Vaquero, executive director of PEMA in Iberia. His appointment further expands Gallagher’s European transaction solutions capabilities.
Gómez González brings more than a decade of experience advising corporate clients and private equity funds on complex, high-value M&A transactions across Europe. His experience includes supporting W&I insurance solutions throughout the deal lifecycle, from due diligence and transaction structuring to negotiations.
He joins Gallagher from international law firm Squire Patton Boggs, where he served as a senior M&A associate. Before that, he spent nearly nine years at Garrigues, where he was a corporate M&A senior associate.
The appointment is part of Gallagher’s continued expansion of its Iberian and broader European PEMA operations. Cristina Chaparro Vaquero joined Gallagher as a senior broker specialising in tax insurance in September 2025, alongside Pau López Fornons as associate broker. The wider expansion has also included Alexander Nagler, who was appointed head of tax insurance for France, and Tom Hughes, who became UK director of tax insurance.
Gómez González’s background as an M&A lawyer brings a different perspective to Gallagher’s transaction solutions team. His experience working directly on M&A transactions provides insight into the considerations of deal lawyers and private equity sponsors, including risk allocation, transaction timelines and purchase agreement structures.
For retail brokers referring Iberian private equity clients to Gallagher’s PEMA practice, his legal and transactional background could provide additional specialist expertise during W&I discussions and broader M&A risk negotiations.
SiriusPoint appoints Rachel Winoski as chief human resources officer
SiriusPoint has appointed Rachel Winoski as chief human resources officer, effective October 5, 2026.
Based in New York, Winoski will join SiriusPoint’s executive leadership team and report to chief executive Scott Egan. She succeeds Sarah Smith, who has served as interim chief human resources officer since April 2026. Smith will continue with the company as HR director, supporting SiriusPoint’s UK and European operations.
Winoski joins SiriusPoint from AXA XL, where she served as chief HR officer for the Americas. During more than 12 years with the company, she progressed from an internal audit internship to a senior executive leadership position.
She brings more than 15 years of HR leadership experience within the insurance industry, including work involving organisational transformation, acquisitions and integrations, and the development of global HR functions. Her experience covers areas including talent management, culture, employee relations, rewards, and belonging and inclusion.
The appointment comes as SiriusPoint continues its financial turnaround. The insurer reported a 17.4% return on equity in the first quarter of 2026, while receiving three credit rating upgrades to ‘A’ within three months. Its core combined ratio stood at 88.9%, while its insurance and services segment grew by 8%.
At the same time, SiriusPoint reduced its reinsurance book by 10%, highlighting a strategy focused on growing its insurance and services operations while selectively reducing exposure in reinsurance.
Against this backdrop, HR leadership will play an important role in supporting SiriusPoint’s workforce and organisational priorities. Retaining and developing underwriting talent will be particularly relevant as the company continues reshaping its portfolio and pursuing selective growth.
Brokers working with clients through SiriusPoint’s MGA and program administrator partnerships may therefore be watching developments within the company’s underwriting teams. Changes in HR leadership can sometimes coincide with wider organisational developments, although Winoski’s appointment represents a permanent leadership move rather than an interim arrangement.
