People Moves: Apollo Launches Int’l Casualty Reinsurance Business, Led by Berkley Re’s Mackenzie; The Fidelis Partnership Promotes Woods as Ireland CEO, With More Key Hires

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Apollo and The Fidelis Partnership.

Apollo Launches Int’l Casualty Reinsurance Business, Led by Berkley Re’s Mackenzie

Apollo, the London-based subsidiary of Skyward Group, announced the launch of an international casualty reinsurance class of business, which introduces a low-volatility portfolio that offers access to new markets, while solving complex challenges for both new and existing clients.

Via its new class of business, Apollo said it aims to solves complex challenges for both new and existing clients.

Tim Mackenzie will join in October this year to lead the class, bringing more than 20 years of ex-tensive expertise across international markets and casualty lines, most recently at Berkley Re.

About Apollo and Skyward Group

Apollo, a Skyward Group company, is an insurance platform operating at Lloyd’s of London, offering data-driven and creative solutions to a wide variety of risks. Apollo offers products across property, casualty, marine, energy & transportation, specialty, reinsurance, as well as smart follow and digital & embedded risk programs.

Houston-based Skyward Group is the holding company brand for its U.S. and Lloyd’s businesses, Skyward Specialty Insurance Group Inc. and Apollo Holding Group, respectively, which deliver a comprehensive suite of specialized insurance solutions across global specialty property and casualty markets.

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The Fidelis Partnership Promotes Woods as Ireland CEO, With Group of Senior Hires

The Fidelis Partnership (TFP) announced the appointment of David Woods as Ireland CEO along with a group of additional senior hires.

Woods has been with the business for almost a decade, serving first in Bermuda and then in London, and is currently group head of Portfolio and Exposure Management.

He will relocate to Dublin in May, with a start date as CEO of July 1, subject to regulatory approval.

TFP also announced that Michelle Raine has been appointed chief underwriting officer (CUO) for its Irish entity. Raine joined TFP as a senior D&F property underwriter in 2025 after more than two decades at AXIS Capital.

In her new role, she will work closely with incoming Pine Walk MGA platform CUO, Peter Williams, to build on the platform’s significant momentum.

TFP transferred its primary European entity to Ireland from Belgium in December 2025, making Dublin the principal hub through which the business accesses the EU market. Woods will be responsible for the continued growth and development of this key operational and strategic location, which is central to TFP’s European growth ambitions and wider commitment to investment in Ireland, where TFP has grown its Dublin headcount to over 75.

Rob Kelly, TFP’s current Ireland CEO, will transition to the new role of group director of Finance, to further strengthen the group finance function. Grahame Dawe, currently group financial controller, will increase his focus on supporting Pine Walk’s growth in his role as UK CFO.

Alongside this TFP has made two senior hires in London:

• Marc MacGillivray will join as chief accounting officer in May. MacGillivray has been with Aspen Insurance Group since 2017, most recently serving as group chief accounting officer. Before Aspen, he was head of US GAAP & IFRS Reporting for AIG’s Europe division.
• Marshall Viegas will join as group head of Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) in June. Viegas joins from AmTrust International, where he has served as head of Data & Analytics since 2024. He brings over two decades of experience across insurance, accounting and auditing, with prior roles at EY.

“I am delighted to be welcoming David to the role of Ireland CEO, where his deep familiarity with TFP’s strategic ambitions over the last decade and his core involvement in the execution of TFP’s capital light risk allocation model will prove invaluable to our continued growth in Ireland and Europe,” commented Conor O’Riordan, group chief financial officer at TFP.

“TFP’s Dublin office has rapidly expanded into both a key strategic hub for our European business and a home for some of Ireland’s leading underwriting, actuarial and data talent,” according to O’Riordan.

“David’s appointment reflects our commitment to building on this momentum and to the development of Dublin as a globally recognized European insurance hub. I would also like to thank Rob Kelly for his exceptional contribution to TFP’s growth in Ireland and look forward to collaborating closely with him in his group director of Finance role.”

About The Fidelis Partnership

The Fidelis Partnership’s two underwriting platforms, Fidelis Underwriting and Pine Walk, source and underwrite re/insurance risks across specialty, bespoke and reinsurance pillars. TFP provides portfolio management services that include portfolio and capital optimization, exposure management, reinsurance purchasing and structuring, and claims handling. The Fidelis Partnership is separately owned and managed from Fidelis Insurance Group (which on Feb. 25, 2026 announced plans to rebrand to Pelagos Insurance Capital Ltd.)

Topics New Markets Reinsurance Casualty