People Moves: Catalina Appoints ERS’ Parker as CEO; WTW Hires Aon’s Grimwade for D&F Team; BMS Names Former Aon Exec Matheson as Canada Chairman

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at legacy acquisition specialist Catalina Holdings (Bermuda), Willis Towers Watson (WTW) and BMS Canada.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Legacy Acquirer Catalina Appoints ERS’ Parker as CEO

Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd., the legacy re/insurance acquisition specialist, announced the appointment of Ian Parker as new group chief executive.

Parker succeeds Bruce Hemphill, who moved from the role of non-executive chairman to become interim CEO in February 2021, when the previous CEO, Chris Fagan, stepped down.

Over the last 12 months, Hemphill led a strategic review of the business and oversaw the implementation of the resulting operating model and other business changes which were designed to deliver improved performance with greater operational focus.

With implementation well underway, Hemphill will now step back into his previous role as non-executive chair of the board, said the company in a statement.

Caroline Foulger, who stepped in for Hemphill as interim chair in February 2021, will step back into her previous role as senior independent non-executive director.

Parker has more than 25 years of experience across all aspects of the P/C industry. He previously held leadership roles at leading financial services firms including Equity Red Star, Hardy Underwriting Ltd., Zurich, RBS and Direct Line Group. In his most recent position at ERS, the largest motor syndicate at Lloyd’s, Parker was CEO for seven years and led a major turnaround resulting in significant value creation for its investors.

Parker has a strong operational track record and has worked closely with regulators across multiple jurisdictions. He has deep experience with all of Catalina’s key markets as well as Lloyd’s, which is a renewed focus area for Catalina. Parker joins the company with immediate effect.

“I am delighted to welcome Ian to Catalina. The business has made significant progress over the past year. We have clarified the company’s strategy and made operational changes which are delivering improved business results,” commented Hemphill, Catalina’s chairman and outgoing group chief executive.

“Catalina is now well positioned as a large, mature, and robustly managed leader in the run-off sector. Ian’s broad P/C experience, industry connectivity, and track record of running insurance businesses while creating significant value for private equity owners make him the right person to lead Catalina today,” he added.

“I am very excited to join Catalina at this inflection point and see tremendous opportunities ahead for the business. With its renewed strategic focus, improved operations, and financial support of its owners, Apollo and RenaissanceRe, Catalina is well set to further consolidate its leadership position in the run-off market and to go from strength to strength,” according to Parker.

Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd. was established in 2005 to focus solely on the acquisition and management of non-life insurance/reinsurance companies in run-off. Since its foundation, Catalina has acquired or reinsured $10 billion of non-life insurance and reinsurance liabilities. Catalina has received approvals from Bermudian, Irish, Malaysian, Singaporean, Swiss, UK (PRA and FCA) and various U.S. state insurance regulators for prior acquisitions and reinsurance transactions.

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WTW Hires Former Aon Exec Grimwade for D&F Team

Insurance broker WTW announced a key appointment of Matt Grimwade as client relationship director for Large and Complex Risks, reporting to Garret Gaughan, head of Global Markets Direct & Facultative.

Grimwade was formerly head of EMEA Business Development at Aon. Grimwade will be responsible for complex property placements for clients within the Global Markets Direct & Facultative Line of Business. He will provide clients with access to the global marketplace to develop market-leading risk solutions. He will also be responsible for product development and new business growth.

“We are delighted to welcome Matt to the WTW team. He brings over 25 years of extensive industry experience and his appointment coincides with the ongoing expansion of our global P/C business. Matt is well known to clients as well as markets. His appointment demonstrates our commitment to grow by providing a solution-oriented, innovative approach for our clients,” commented Garret Gaughan, head of Global Markets, Direct & Facultative.

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BMS Names Former Aon Exec Matheson as Canadian Chairman

BMS, the London-based independent specialist re/insurance broker, announced the appointment of Ian Matheson as a non-executive chairman of BMS’ Canadian operations, effective Feb. 1, 2022. Matheson will support Brian Gomes, president and CEO of BMS Canada and the national leadership team.

Matheson is a highly experienced risk management professional with an impressive career history. Before his BMS appointment, he spent 15 years at Aon and its subsidiaries, where he held several senior roles including chief executive officer of its Captive Services (Canada), chief development officer and director, and as chief consulting officer and director of Risk Management Consultants of Canada Ltd.

He also has held the position of senior risk officer at both Genstar Corp. and Harrowston Inc., and he will continue as principal and chief consulting officer of IRGM GLOBAL Risk Management Consultants Ltd.

Throughout his career, Matheson has taken a leadership role in a variety of high-profile deals, particularly in relation to tax indemnity insurance, M&A representations, and environmental cost cap insurance, as well as enterprise risk management (ERM). Most recently, he was responsible for the development of new FP 500 clients and an innovative suite of products and solutions.

Topics Reinsurance Property Casualty Canada Aon Risk Management Willis Towers Watson