Steadfast Claims Solutions and Bellrock Advisory have both made senior appointments this week, covering claims operations at the TPA and market access at the advisory firm.
Steadfast Claims Solutions has appointed Theresa O'Halloran (pictured above) as chief operating officer, with responsibility covering operations and claims management. O'Halloran commenced in May 2026, bringing more than 30 years of insurance industry experience across operational leadership, end-to-end claims management and assessment. Before joining SCS, she was ANZ head of operations at Swiss Re, and previously served as head of operations, Australasia, at Berkshire Hathaway.
SCS CEO Susan Donaldson said O'Halloran had already been active with customers since taking up the position. "I am thrilled Theresa has joined Steadfast Claims Solutions as chief operations officer. With her strong track record in operations and claims management, Theresa is passionate about delivering great customer claim experience through efficient processes and use of technology. Theresa has already made a strong contribution to Steadfast Claims Solutions in partnering with customers and cultivating strong, positive relationships," Donaldson said.
Donaldson said the leadership changes were intended to support the company's work with insurer partners and their customers, and that the enhancements would position SCS well to support future growth and strengthen the service offering. SCS also noted that Tai Patira, head of customer and risk, recently marked five years with the business as part of the same expansion of its executive leadership team.
For insurers and their distribution partners, O'Halloran's background in operations at two major carriers gives SCS's claims management leadership a different credential set from a pure claims career path - one oriented toward process efficiency and technology deployment across high-volume operational environments, which is the context in which most TPA-handled claims are actually managed.
Bellrock Advisory has appointed Andrew Farquharson (pictured below) as practice leader, with responsibility for developing its Markets function. The role covers insurer engagement, market strategy, complex placement, alternative risk transfer, facultative reinsurance, binders, facilities and specialist market access - a scope that makes this the more directly broker-relevant of the two appointments.
Farquharson has more than a decade of experience across insurance and reinsurance, including senior roles with international intermediaries and work placing complex property, casualty and facultative reinsurance programmes. His earlier experience includes major construction and infrastructure projects.
Bellrock CEO Marc Chiarella framed the role around what clients need when a claim actually happens. "Insurance is built on trust. On a client's worst day, the policy and the capacity behind it must respond as promised. That means ensuring our clients have access to the right markets, the right coverage, and capacity providers who understand our clients' business and stand behind the commitments made under their policies," he said.
Chiarella added that Farquharson brought the technical capability, commercial relationships and demonstrated judgement to deliver on that, and described him as a person of integrity the firm was confident entrusting with a critical part of its value proposition.
Farquharson will work with Bellrock's practice leaders to develop insurer engagement and market strategy, building on existing relationships and providing advisers and clients with earlier access to specialist placement expertise. For brokers who engage Bellrock on advisory mandates involving harder-to-place risks or capacity-constrained lines, his arrival gives the firm a named specialist across the full placement value chain - from traditional arrangements through to alternative risk transfer and specialist market facilities.
