Re/insurance specialist BMS Group has announced the appointment of Ryan Phillips (pictured above) as director and African practice leader.

Phillips will join the firm in March 2025, operating out of the company’s London office and reporting to Paul Galvin, director. His responsibilities will cover the African continent, with a focus on expanding BMS’s regional footprint in collaboration with its team, which currently serves clients primarily in South Africa.

Phillips previously spent 12 years at BMS in various broking and marketing roles. Since leaving the firm, he has accumulated 13 years of additional experience in the insurance industry.

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Most recently, he served as group CEO of Afro Asian Insurance Services (AAIS), a Lloyd’s broker, where he managed operations across seven offices in Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, and other regions. During his tenure, AAIS experienced a 300% increase in revenue. Before that, Phillips was chief operating officer at Matrix Insurance Brokers, which was acquired by Howden in 2020.

In his new role, Phillips will support clients across Africa in a range of insurance lines, including property, political violence, terrorism, energy, financial lines, and cyber.

Read More: BMS Group appoints Richard Dudley as chief broking officer

Paul Galvin, director at BMS, highlighted Phillips’ experience and industry connections as a major positive for the group’s expansion.

“His deep knowledge of the African market landscape and his established international network, as well as strong relationships within the London market, will be invaluable to the business as we grow in this territory. Providing a dedicated resource to a region so rich in opportunity is an important step for BMS, and we are confident Ryan is the right person to lead this initiative,” Galvin said.

“Ryan’s expertise and extensive relationships in the African reinsurance market will be indispensable as BMS continues the expansion of its international footprint. I look forward to welcoming him to the team,” BMS international D&F managing director Chris Ritchie said.

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