Market Moves - 19 November 2015

Insurers
Allianz
Allianz Claims has appointed Lee Watts as head of casualty claims, moving over from his role as QBE’s claims investigation service manager. In his new role Watts will be responsible for leading the development and implementation of technical claims strategy and best practice across all casualty and disease claims. During his eight years at QBE, he led a number of efficiency and indemnity initiatives resulting in multi-million pound benefits and developed a target operating model. Watts had also been the technical SME for implementing guidewire across casualty claims, as well as more recently leading the implementation of analytics within casualty and motor claims.

LV
LV has appointed Aviva personal lines managing director Steve Treloar as John O’Roarke’s successor as MD for general insurance. Treloar is expected to join LV during the second quarter of 2016, subject to regulatory approval. Prior to serving as Aviva PL MD, Treloar held a number of senior roles at the insurer and also at RBS Insurance over a 19-year career.

UK General
UK General has promoted Dean Fairburn to the role of claims director. Fairburn joined the specialist insurer in 2006 from RSA where he had been senior technical claims advisor. He has held a variety of positions in commercial property claims and household underwriting.

Brokers
Bluefin
Bluefin has recruited Carl Porter from Howden Insurance Brokers to head finance operations as well as making interim chief financial officer Amber Wilkinson permanent. Porter, who has also previously worked for RFIB Group, JMD Specialist Insurance Services and London Special Risks, will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day management of finance operations including client money, credit control and insurer reconciliations.

RFIB
RFIB Holdings executive chairman Dennis Mahoney is to replace Jonathan Turnbull as CEO at the company.

Tasker
Tasker Insurance Group has appointed former Oval group managing director Jeff Herdman as non-executive chairman. The group was formed in 2011 and is the holding company for the Tasker Group, which includes Lloyd’s broker Tasker & Partners and managing general agency Gresham.

Associations
LMG
Benedict Reid will take over as CEO at the London Market Group from the end of November. Reid, a director in EY’s London market insurance practice, has been seconded for an initial six-month interim term.

MGAs
Pen Underwriting
Pen Underwriting has appointed Phil Nichols as underwriting director for its e-solutions business, reporting into Andy Westby, managing director of Volume. Bringing more than 20 years’ industry experience, Nichols will be responsible for spearheading the strategic expansion of Pen’s e-traded household and residential property owner propositions, which specialise in delivering auto-rated solutions for
non-standard risks. He joins from Canopius, where he was head of affinity responsible for the development, distribution and performance of niche personal lines schemes and products, principally household. Prior to that he was head of product management at Ageas – focused on personal lines – having joined the insurer in 2004, originally as household underwriting manager.

Law Firms
DAS Law
Acting head of DAS Law James Christacos has been confirmed as permanent managing director of the business. Christacos qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has worked in private practice and in-house in a variety of legal, operational, sales, IT and project management roles. He joined DAS Law in 2013 as head of operations and was appointed to the board in 2014.