QBE Re has announced the appointment of three new leaders to its team, with Salvatore “Sal” Sama (pictured above, left) named the global product head for casualty, Jane Farren (pictured above, middle) as the global head of financial professional lines (FinPro), and Derek Durst (pictured above, right) as the global head of cyber. These appointments are set to take effect over the course of January.

Sama, based in New York, brings over two decades of financial services experience to his new role at QBE Re, including a 10-year tenure at Swiss Re prior to his current appointment.

Farren, located in New York, has been with QBE Re for nearly three years. Her industry experience includes roles at Aspen Insurance Group and Swiss Re.

Durst began his career at QBE Re in London in 2012, after spending five years with Aon.

In their new roles, Sama, Farren, and Durst will be responsible for the quality, governance, and oversight of underwriting for each product globally. They will collaborate closely with Mark Jackaman, who assumed his role as general manager in London in September 2023.

“We are pleased to welcome Sal, Jane and Derek to these positions. These senior hires are reflective of our global ambition and desire to deploy capacity consistently around the world. In so doing, we can deliver sustainable growth and build long-term partnerships with our customers,” QBE Re managing director Chris Killourhy said.

Killourhy also highlighted the importance of these appointments in maintaining underwriting discipline and providing consistent propositions to brokers and cedants. He praised the internal promotion of these individuals as evidence of the high caliber of underwriting talent within the company.

The aim, as stated by Killourhy, is to cultivate a QBE Re that facilitates ease of doing business and ensures consistent experience for clients globally through collaborative efforts across all offices.

These appointments follow other significant hires at QBE Re in 2023, including Andrew Guarnori, Ashish (Ash) Ahluwalia, and Mark Jackaman, who have been appointed to head of underwriting oversight, global head of performance and portfolio analytics, and general manager, London, respectively.

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