Everest's Zaffino gears up to take competitor Ascot to next level

Specialty re/insurer Ascot has hired  Everest Insurance CEO Jonathan Zaffino as group president. He will oversee the organisation’s US and Bermuda platforms, as well as have executive responsibility for Ethos Specialty, a MGU within the US market.

He will join Ascot in the company’s New York office after completing his contractual obligations with Everest, where he currently serves as the president and CEO of the insurance unit, and executive vice president of Everest Re Group.

Zaffino has served in a variety of leadership roles spanning underwriting and brokerage throughout his 26 year career. Prior to joining Everest, he was a managing director at Marsh, before becoming president and CEO of Victor O. Schinnerer – a Marsh subsidiary.

In his new role, Zaffino will report to Andrew Brooks, group chief executive officer, who said: “I very much look forward to welcoming Jon to Ascot and working with him as we continue the build out of our U.S. and Bermuda businesses. His appointment demonstrates the strength of Ascot’s franchise, our commitment to building a premier global re/insurance business, and to attracting industry leading talent.

“In a short space of time, we’ve made tremendous progress in the U.S. and Bermuda, with an emphasis on underwriting discipline and the acquiring of high quality teams. From this very solid foundation, having someone of Jon’s enormous experience and expertise in the insurance space will be hugely beneficial in building upon what we have achieved, helping to take Ascot to the next level. The Ascot team and I look forward to working with Jon to achieve these goals.”

Zaffino added: “I am thrilled to join Ascot at this exciting time in its evolution. I look forward to partnering with Andrew and the Executive team, as well as all of the talented Ascot colleagues across the organization to continue on this path of growth and transformation.”