Lloyd's and London Market veteran Paul Jardine joins Chaucer

Former XL Catlin veteran Paul Jardine has joined specialty re/insurance group Chaucer as non-executive chairman, succeeding Chris Stooke, who will retire from the board later this year.

Jardine is a renowned insurance executive, having worked at senior level in the Lloyd's and London Market for several years. He has held a number of executive roles at AXA XL, after serving as director & chief actuary at Equitas. He also serves on the advisory board of insurtech startup AkinovA and third-party managing agent Asta.

Prior to Catlin, he was a partner at Coopers & Lybrand. Jardine also served for nine years as the deputy chairman of the Council of Lloyd's.

Jardine was the favourite candidate for Inga Beale’s successor as CEO of Lloyd’s of London in 2018, according to a survey by Intelligent Insurer.

Chris Stooke is leaving after almost a decade with Chaucer; first as a non-executive director and then as chairman of the business. Chaucer said his calm leadership and diplomacy have been integral to the successful development of the company, including as a member of The Hanover Insurance Group, and then China Re Group.

“Our Board is delighted to have Paul as our new Chairman,” said John Fowle, chief executive officer of Chaucer. “He has a wealth of insurance experience gained over a three-decade career in the industry, which will be a great addition to the collective expertise of the current team. I am sure that Paul’s expertise and insight will be invaluable as we continue our development as a leading specialty international (re)insurance group."

Fowle added: "Chris Stooke has been a wonderful chairman to work with. He has successfully guided Chaucer through a transformational decade with great care, competency and commitment. He has been a trusted member of the team and hugely liked by all. He has become a friend to many and will be greatly missed. I wish him all the very best in his future endeavours.”