A series of senior leadership changes have been announced across the insurance and reinsurance sector, covering legal, underwriting and board-level finance roles.
Nexus appoints Walid Youssef to lead UK financial institutions
Nexus Underwriting has appointed Walid Youssef as unit head of UK financial institutions.
Youssef joins from Lockton, where he served as senior vice president in the global financial institutions team. Earlier in his career, he held the role of head of financial institutions at Travelers Europe and worked as vice president at Marsh.
His appointment follows three recent additions to the same division. Sam Meehan has joined as head of underwriting development, based in Dublin, bringing more than 15 years of insurance industry experience, including financial institutions underwriting roles at Travelers Europe and Chubb. Scott Walker has been appointed senior underwriter and brings 25 years of experience in financial institutions insurance, most recently with Aviva and Aon. Harry Risby joined the financial institutions team as an underwriter in February 2026, adding eight years of underwriting experience from CNA Hardy, Antares and Compass Underwriting.
Fidelis promotes Nicole Kapu-Leyland to group general counsel
Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited has promoted Nicole Kapu-Leyland to the role of group general counsel.
Kapu-Leyland joined Fidelis Insurance in 2023 and has held several senior positions, including interim group head of legal, deputy general counsel and senior legal counsel. Prior to joining the company, she worked as an associate in the corporate and financial services team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher (UK) LLP.
Allianz SE announces board changes ahead of planned retirement
The supervisory board of Allianz SE has announced upcoming changes to its board of management, effective Jan. 1, 2027, in connection with the planned retirement of board member Klaus-Peter Röhler at the end of 2026.
Röhler will step down from the board on Dec. 31, 2026, following the expiry of his mandate and upon reaching the company’s age limit.
Tomas Kunzmann, currently CEO of Allianz Partners, will join the Allianz SE board of management and take responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region, including India. A successor for the CEO role at Allianz Partners will be announced at a later date.
Renate Wagner, a member of the Allianz SE board of management, will assume responsibility for Germany, Switzerland and Central Europe, while continuing to oversee the people & culture and mergers & acquisitions portfolios. She will transfer her current Asia-Pacific responsibilities to Kunzmann.
Meanwhile, the mandate of Claire-Marie Coste-Lepoutre, chief financial officer and member of the board of management, has been extended for a further five years through to Dec. 31, 2031.
Markerstudy appoints group CFO
Markerstudy has appointed Glen Ward as group chief financial officer, subject to regulatory approval. Ward brings extensive financial services experience, including previous roles at Admiral Insurance, where he served as group finance director and UK insurance CFO.
