MGA platform Volante bolsters leadership with QBE and Barbican hires
Volante Global, a new multi-class and multi-territory international managing general agent (MGA) platform, has hired executives from QBE and Barbican to boost its leadership team.
Chris Drew joins from QBE as chief actuarial officer; Paul Rich joins from Barbican Insurance Group as head of operations.
Drew will also be appointed to Volante's executive committee and global board of directors. He will be responsible for the company's actuarial, analytical and MI functions. His role will encompass business planning and performance monitoring, as well as responsibility for pricing model integration and development, and external reporting.
Prior to joining Volante, Drew was head of actuarial and MI for the retail division at QBE European operations. He took up the position in May 2014 having previously been actuarial manager. He joined the company in 2004 as syndicate actuary for its Syndicate 386. During his 22-year insurance career, Drew has also worked for RSA, Hymans Robertson and GE Capital.
Rich will be responsible for the delivery of all central service operations across Volante, as well as all aspects of group delegated authority management. He will also maintain oversight of the group’s coverholder management services to its capacity providers, and join the Volante executive committee.
Rich was most recently head of operations at Barbican Insurance Group. Prior to this, he was head of delegated authorities at Aspen Insurance. During his 24 years in insurance, Rich has also been chair of the IUA’s Delegated Authority Underwriting Group, as well as holding posts at International Insurance Company of Hannover SE and Wildnet Group.
Talbir Bains, founder and CEO of Volante, said: “I am delighted that Chris has joined the Volante team. Chris brings outstanding experience, intellectual pedigree and commercial acumen to the role, and his appointment demonstrates our commitment to ensuring actuarial science underpins the foundations of our underwriting approach.”
Volante was launched in December 2017, and recently announced the formation of Edison Motor, a UK commercial motor MGA, on its platform.
Drew commented: “I am excited to be joining Volante at this early stage. The company offers a unique underwriting environment which thrives on innovation, is built upon leading-edge technology, operates an open and collaborative culture, and supports fully empowered teams. I am delighted to be a member of such a forward-looking and dynamic organisation.”
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