People Moves: Swiss Re Taps AGCS’s Shahkarami as Head P&C Solutions; BMS Re Hires 3 for Fac Team; QBE Canada Hires Liberty Mutual’s Mason as U/W Mgr, Property

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Swiss Re, BMS Re, and QBE Canada.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Swiss Re Taps AGCS’s Shahkarami as Head P&C Solutions

Swiss Re has appointed Ali Shahkarami as global head P&C Solutions, reporting to Russell Higginbotham, CEO Reinsurance Solutions. The appointment is effective July 2023.

Based in Munich, Shahkarami will lead a global team of insurance and data experts to deliver state-of-the-art property, specialty and casualty solutions for clients of Swiss Re’s newly launched Reinsurance Solutions division.

Shahkarami joins Swiss Re from Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) where he was chief data officer. Prior to that role, he held various leadership positions at AGCS in Munich and California, ranging from catastrophe risk modeling and research to innovating technology solutions for underwriting use cases and relevant processes.

Before joining AGCS, Shahkarami was a lead catastrophe risk modeler at RMS, a software and technology company focused on catastrophe risks.

A civil engineer by training, Shahkarami holds a doctorate in structural engineering from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He spent several years in the fields of structural engineering and material science with specific applications to aerospace.

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BMS Re Builds Global Facultative Team With 3 Hires

BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, today announced the appointment of Steve Housse as managing director and facultative practice lead and Dan Shea as senior vice president of property facultative. Both will be based in Atlanta, Ga.

Housse, a well-known leader in the property facultative space, joins from Guy Carpenter where he led the US property practice. Housse will spearhead the expansion of the US property and energy offering. Shea joins from Lockton Re – with expertise in the hybrid, facultative obligatory, and industrial sectors.

James Elliott, previously managing director at Gallagher Re, also will be joining BMS Re as managing director and facultative practice lead and will be based in the UK once his current contractual obligations are completed in March 2024. As global leads, Elliott and Housse will work in partnership with the group’s business leaders to build a global facultative network.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steve, Dan and James to BMS Re. Their expertise and experience are invaluable and will be instrumental in providing creative solutions, better serving our clients,” commented Ian Gormley, UK CEO of BMS Group.

“The global facultative practice initiative will revolutionize the way that we work with insurance and reinsurance clients alike across BMS and the global market. Our culture and lack of silos continue to attract talent to BMS and enables us to deliver innovative solutions across territories and specialisms at a time when our clients need it most,” Gormley added.

“We will continue to build out our facultative expertise across the US, UK, Bermuda and LatAm, and expand into other geographies. Our P&C facultative practice is evolving to work across territories delivering exactly what clients need to navigate the current market,” said Pete Chandler, CEO of BMS Re.

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QBE Canada Hires Liberty Mutual’s Mason as Underwriting Mgr, Property

QBE Canada has appointed Melanie Mason as underwriting manager, Property, to maintain momentum and growth of its direct and facultative property portfolio.

Leading QBE’s Property underwriters, located in both Toronto and Vancouver, Mason will ensure the team continues to leverage its local expertise to deliver excellent service to QBE’s brokers and customers. As a member of the underwriting leadership team, Mason will also help create and establish innovative growth ideas.

She joined QBE at the beginning of July from Liberty Mutual Canada, where she gained over 20 years’ experience in the property space. She held various roles at Liberty, most recently as national property manager and assistant vice-president Commercial Insurance, Central & Atlantic Region. She brings strong expertise and a vast network to QBE, as well as great enthusiasm for the property class.

Based in Toronto, Mason will report to Scott Pidduck, director of Underwriting.

Mason replaces Property Underwriting Manager Lisa Wolfe, who has been promoted to the role of portfolio manager in QBE’s Direct & Facultative International Property team, based in London, UK.

Topics Property Property Casualty Canada