People Moves: WTW Hires ERS’ Shepherd to Lead Facultative; Specialty Insurer Fusion Names Gallagher’s Simmonds as Managing Partner; AXIS’ Quane Is CUO at Beazley

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at broker Willis Towers Watson, specialty insurer Fusion and insurer Beazley.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Willis Towers Watson Hires ERS’ Shepherd as Head of Global Facultative

Insurance broker Willis Towers Watson announced it has appointed Alex Shepherd as head of Global Facultative.

Shepherd joins Willis Towers Watson from ERS Syndicate 1856, where he served as active underwriter driving performance and growth across all classes. Shepherd will report to Garret Gaughan, head of Global Markets P&C Hub and Facultative as the broker seeks to replicate the success of a hub approach in its facultative business.

In addition to his time at ERS, Shepherd has held various roles at RenaissanceRe, Canopius, ACE Global Markets and Marsh. He also holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of London.

“Alex Shepherd brings almost 25 years of experience in the direct and facultative market across a number of lines of business,” commented Adam Garrard, global head of Corporate Risk and Broking. “He has the experience and vision we need to move our Facultative business forward, leveraging the experience we have gained through creating and operating a truly connected and aligned global facultative business.”

Alastair Swift, Willis Tower Watson’s head of corporate risk and broking (CRB) for GB, said: “In talking with our cedent customers, they are looking for greater value from their facultative brokers. At WTW we have invested heavily in our in-house analytics, which means we are uniquely placed to provide the advisory services that will enable our customers to buy their facultative covers far more strategically than they have in the past. Alex’s appointment is a key step for us in redefining the role of the facultative broker.”

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Specialty Insurer Fusion Names Gallagher’s Simmonds as Managing Partner

Fusion, a speciality insurer that provides insurance solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, has appointed Katherine Simmonds as managing partner.

Based in Sydney, Australia, Simmonds will have global responsibilities for the firm and will help spearhead the continued growth of Fusion in the mergers & acquisitions (M&A) insurance market across Australia, Asia Pacific, and in growth markets in the U.S. and Europe.

Simmonds joins Fusion from Gallagher, where she was head of Corporate, Australia. Her previous roles include Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand at Ironshore Insurance, and head of M&A Underwriting, Asia Pacific at AIG.

Founded by industry veterans Killian McDermott and David Rogers, Sydney-based Fusion, an MGA, is part of the POP Holdings Group. The company said it is rapidly transitioning from a start-up to a global leader in highly specialized insurance markets.

Fusion now partners with some of the world’s leading insurers, including Allianz, Markel, Zurich, Ping An and HDI Global Specialty.

“Katie joins Fusion at an exciting time as we continue to experience significant demand, having reached a new milestone of over 200 deals underwritten since our launch less than three years ago,” commented McDermott. “With her extensive background in M&A and her success in building and growing underwriting and broking businesses, she brings highly valued expertise to the company as we prepare to launch new insurtech products and services internationally.”

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Beazley Appoints Quane From AXIS as Chief Underwriting Officer

Beazley has announced the appointment Bob Quane as its new chief underwriting officer (CUO), subject to regulatory approval. Quane, an industry veteran, with over 30 years of underwriting leadership experience, moves from AXIS Capital where he was CUO of the insurance segment. Based in New York, he started his role on Oct. 11, 2021.

Quane’s three decades of underwriting leadership experience includes 22 years working at AIG, where he held various senior roles, including head of global personal lines, global accident and health and global commercial property.

Quane will join Beazley’s Executive Committee.

“Bob brings exceptional depth and breadth of experience across multiple commercial and consumer lines, and his successful track record of delivering portfolio growth is impressive. His extensive global experience will be invaluable as we continue to develop our business in both our established and growth markets,” commented Adrian Cox, CEO of Beazley.

“It is a bold move for an underwriting firm headquartered in London to appoint a CUO based in New York, but Bob’s appointment underlines our commitment to the U.S. market and our future growth plans there,” Cox added. “Having been CUO myself, I realize how vital having the right person with the right skills and experience in this role is, which is why I’m delighted that Bob is joining Beazley.”

David Roberts, chairman of Beazley, thanked Tim Turner and Bethany Greenwood for stepping into the roles of interim CUO, long and short tail, in April, when the previous CUO, Adrian Cox, was promoted to CEO. Cox succeeded Andrew Horton, who left Beazley to become group CEO of QBE Insurance in Australia.

Topics Carriers Talent Excess Surplus A.J. Gallagher Willis Towers Watson