Six organisations have announced senior appointments this week spanning broking, underwriting, insurtech and European trade body governance - a notably varied set of moves that includes a direct hire from a rival, a telematics pioneer moving into renewable energy, and an unconventional brand ambassador appointment.
Notable moves include Aon's hire of Marsh's construction practice leader, a promotion at Liberty Mutual's international division, and the appointment of a telematics pioneer to a Lloyd's-based renewable energy insurtech. Bluefriars Group has also named a former Zurich and Aviva underwriting chief as its new chair, while Peter James Insurance has taken an unconventional approach to brand building with a television presenter appointment.
Liberty Mutual Insurance has named Defne Turkes (pictured, left) president and managing director of Liberty International Insurance (LII), the international division of Global Risk Solutions (GRS), effective July 1. Singapore-based Turkes, who has served as LII chief operating officer since 2024, will lead commercial insurance internationally as well as retail markets in Asia, reporting to GRS president Matthew Moore.
Turkes has been with Liberty since 2006, joining as chief financial officer in Turkey before progressing through senior leadership roles across Asia, including president of the Asia retail businesses. She succeeds Phil Hobbs, who has moved into the role of president of underwriting at GRS.
"Defne brings a formidable combination of skills and deep international insurance expertise. She is an exceptional leader, with proven experience delivering operational platforms across complex, multi-jurisdictional environments, alongside commercial experience running a multi-country business," said Moore.
Aon has appointed Andy Desmond (pictured, centre) as head of construction for commercial risk in the UK, effective July 1, in a direct hire from its closest rival. Desmond spent more than six years as construction industry practice leader at Marsh UK and Ireland before the move, and previously served 18 years as insurance manager at Kier Group between 2001 and 2020 - giving him an unusually deep background on both the client and broker sides of the market. He will be based in London and report to Rob Kemp, CEO of commercial risk in the UK, leading Aon's construction practice across risk placement, strategic advisory and integrated solutions.
"With projects growing in scale and duration, the challenges around capacity, limits and market participation are intensifying. Andy's leadership will support the team to help clients mitigate delays, manage cost pressures and ensure smoother construction projects," said Kemp.
Bluefriars Group has appointed Hayley Robinson (pictured, right) as chair, replacing David Owen, who remains with the business as a non-executive director with responsibility for Europe. Robinson brings senior executive experience from three of the UK's largest insurers, having served as group chief underwriting officer at Zurich and chief underwriting officer for personal lines at Aviva, as well as holding leadership positions at RSA. She currently sits on the board of Brit Syndicates Ltd and chairs its Risk Oversight Committee, and holds roles with the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission and the Motor Insurers' Bureau.
"We have sought a chair with both broad market experience and a great network to help us through our next challenges. We are pleased to appoint Hayley Robinson, who we think will be a great market advocate and non-executive chair," said David Plummer, CEO of Bluefriars Group.
Bluefriars supports MGA launches and broker growth across UK and European markets, with more than 60 businesses launched under its hosting network since inception.
APP Group has appointed Jonathon Valentine as group chief technology officer, bringing one of the motor insurance market's best-known connected data specialists into the power and renewable energy sector. Valentine co-founded telematics service provider ThingCo in 2018, which became widely regarded as a market leader in risk mitigation for motor insurers, and was previously the first employee at Insurethebox - the UK's first telematics-only motor insurer - where he served as head of innovation.
In his new role, Valentine will lead technology strategy for both APP Group and its insurtech subsidiary SAMP Risk, the first connected insurance platform for the power and renewable energy sector. SAMP Risk uses proprietary plug-and-play telematics hardware installed at renewable energy sites to collect machine data in real time, feeding a live risk scoring model that drives continuous risk management throughout the policy period.
"This is a fantastic opportunity to translate the lessons of over a decade in connected motor insurance into the energy market: using live asset data, IoT and machine learning to change how renewable energy risk is assessed, priced and managed," said Valentine.
Peter James Insurance, part of the Kingfisher Insurance family, has appointed television presenter and automotive specialist Paul Cowland (pictured immediately above) as brand ambassador. Cowland is best known for the Channel 4 series Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars and has spent more than 30 years working across the specialist automotive world, spanning classic cars, restoration, dealerships and specialist businesses.
"What stood out to me about Peter James Insurance is that they genuinely understand those people. They aren't just providing insurance - they're supporting clubs, events, businesses and enthusiast communities that help keep our automotive culture alive," said Cowland.
The Association of Mutual Insurers and Insurance Cooperatives in Europe has elected María José Rodríguez of Seguros Lagun Aro in Spain and Thomas Sehn of HUK-Coburg in Germany to its board, replacing Pablo Mongelos García and Klaus-Jürgen Heitmann respectively. Sehn has also been appointed a vice-president under a revised governance structure introduced to strengthen member representation across the association's commissions. Further background on both appointees was not provided at the time of publication.
