This week's appointments cover an executive build-out at specialist insurer CFC, and a reshuffle at Bermuda legacy insurer Carrick Group to handle a growing deal pipeline.
CFC has appointed Debbie Griffin (pictured, left) as chief people officer. She joins from Shawbrook, where she held the same role, and has more than 25 years’ experience in senior people roles in international financial services, including at Société Générale, Rabobank, Commerzbank and JP Morgan.
The appointment follows CFC’s hiring of Chris Loake as chief information officer, from Hiscox, where he was group chief information officer. Louisa Doswell has also been confirmed permanently as chief operations and transformation officer. Doswell was previously chief executive of Pinnacle Pet Group, and held senior roles at RSA, including chief operating officer for its UK and international business.
“We have ambitious plans for CFC, and having the right leadership team in place is critical to delivering them,” said Adam Winslow, group chief executive of CFC.
CFC has been active this autumn, updating its cyber policy with executive protection and affirmative AI cover, and publishing global research on SME cyber risk. Strengthening its technology, operations and people leadership suggests it is preparing to scale further, which matters to brokers relying on CFC’s digital trading platforms.
Carrick Group, a Bermuda-based international non-life legacy insurer, has appointed Alex Smith (pictured, right) as chief operating officer. He succeeds Phil Hernon, who has been with Carrick since it was founded in 2019 and has held both the chief operating and chief commercial officer roles. Hernon will now focus solely on the commercial role.
Chief executive Tom Nichols said Carrick had a large number of potential transactions in the pipeline, and that separating the roles would let Hernon concentrate on new business.
Smith, based in London, joined Carrick more than a year ago as senior vice president of operations. He has worked in insurance since 1997, including at Liberty Specialty Markets, Brit, Swiss Re, Pen Underwriting and PoloWorks. He said his priority was to keep onboarding and integrating new transactions efficiently as the business grows.
Legacy insurers buy closed books and run-off portfolios, letting insurers release capital and focus on live business. A busy pipeline at Carrick reflects continued demand from insurers to offload legacy liabilities, which brokers and advisers involved in run-off and capital transactions will be watching.
