Ascot expands into US facultative market with Arch Re, TransRe hires

Specialty re/insurer  Ascot has expanded its US facultative reinsurance capabilities with two new hires from  Arch Re and TransRe.

Anthony Kashuba joins as executive vice president, while Steve Robinson becomes senior vice president. They both report to Rory Cline, who has been promoted to president of Ascot’s US reinsurance solutions business. Cline reports to Jonathan Zaffino, group president.

Kashuba will help oversee Ascot’s overall North America casualty FAC product suite and facilitates new and expanded solutions across the casualty product spectrum. He is based in Ascot’s Stamford office and joins from Arch Reinsurance where he was managing director, responsible for casualty FAC operations in North America.

Kashuba has 30 years industry experience and has held various senior underwriting and broking roles within the casualty business at Allied World, Swiss Re and Willis Re.

Robinson will be responsible for initiating and increasing Ascot’s presence in the professional lines segment of the FAC market. He joins from TransRe where he wrote a range of management and professional lines. Before that he was at Chubb, writing public company management liability.

Both hires are responsible for the casualty FAC solutions currently managed in Dallas, Texas, by Scott Beall and Lex Smart, who are both set to retire at the end of 2021.

Ascot has offered property FAC services in the US since 2009. The business is led by Libby Ismail, senior vice president. Services are offered from Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Stamford, using the capacity of Ascot’s Syndicate 1414 at Lloyd’s.

Zaffino said: “ Ascot prides itself on customer centricity. In response to our clients’ needs, we continue to expand our product solutions and as importantly, the operational and service capabilities to support these. Our expansion in the US facultative market, through Rory’s new leadership remit and the additions of Tony and Steve, speak to this commitment.”

Cline said: “This new grouping of our FAC solutions will enable us to provide a broader range of products, better service, operational efficiencies and solution expansion.”

Kashuba added: “I know Ascot is a leading reinsurance player in the Bermudian and London markets, and I’m excited by the opportunity to enhance our reinsurance solutions across the whole Ascot ecosystem by expanding our domestic US capabilities.”

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