People Moves: Marsh Promotes Ward as CEO of Pacific, Guy Carpenter; QBE Names Thompson as Global Director of Data Centres in Newly Created Role

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Guy Carpenter and QBE.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Marsh Promotes Ward as CEO of Pacific, Guy Carpenter

Insurance and reinsurance broker Marsh announced the appointment of Justin Ward as CEO of Pacific, Guy Carpenter, effective immediately.

Ward reports to Tony Gallagher, CEO of Guy Carpenter Asia Pacific, and will relocate to Sydney from Singapore in July 2027.

In this role, Ward will lead and manage Guy Carpenter’s broking organization in the Pacific region. He will further develop Guy Carpenter’s business strategy, addressing the evolving needs of clients across the Pacific region, and will work closely with Marsh’s regional leadership team, including James Sullivan, head of Broking, Guy Carpenter Pacific.

Ward joined Guy Carpenter in 2018 and has held senior broking positions in both Sydney and Singapore. Most recently, he served as Capital Advisory Leader for Asia Pacific from 2024 and will continue in this role until July 2027. Prior to joining Guy Carpenter, Ward was employed by Insurance Australia Group, National Australia Bank, and AMP in senior re/insurance, financial planning, and risk advisory roles.

Marsh also announced the appointment of James Beedle, one of Asia Pacific’s foremost re/insurance industry leaders, to Guy Carpenter Pacific’s board of directors, subject to regulatory approval. Beedle brings more than 36 years of experience in the reinsurance industry to Guy Carpenter, both as a broker and underwriter, working across international markets including London, Sydney, Tokyo and Singapore.

“With our strengthened management team, led by Justin in Pacific, and the addition of James to our board of directors, Guy Carpenter is well placed to help clients across Asia Pacific navigate a market shaped by elevated catastrophe risk, evolving regulation, and growing demand for tailored analytics and advisory support,” according to APAC CEO Tony Gallagher.

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QBE Names Thompson as Global Director of Data Centres in Newly Created Role

International commercial insurer QBE has appointed Jamie Thompson to the newly created role of global director of Data Centres to develop an integrated insurance proposition that addresses the evolving risks facing this fast-growing critical infrastructure.

London-based Thompson, who previously led the Financial Lines team for QBE’s International Markets, will bring together expertise from underwriting, risk engineering, claims and distribution, to deliver a global proposition for data centres around the world.

Thompson has been with QBE for over 20 years. In addition to his experience in the London market, he served as the director for QBE Canada. Across underwriting and portfolio management, he has built a track record leading complex books of business.

With cloud migration and artificial intelligence usage pushing demand, data centre capacity will double globally between 2026 and 2030, with nearly 100 gigawatts (GW) of power added, according to a report published by Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), a provider of real estate and investment management services. To support this, the sector is experiencing an infrastructure investment surge requiring up to $3 trillion by 2030, JLL added.

“The data centre sector is rapidly growing and evolving with the advent of AI. Sheer size and scale, power and redundancy requirements, choice of locations around the world mean that the sector increasingly needs adapted solutions backed by deep expertise and global reach,” said Cécile Fresneau, managing director of QBE’s Insurance Division.

“Coverage gaps are emerging and the complex and interconnected risks associated with data centres will need sophisticated solutions,” commented Thompson.

“To provide a globally consistent approach, we will develop a proposition incorporating multiple products, looking at the complete data lifecycle and broader risk landscape for businesses and communities,” he added.