In coordination with its quarterly earnings call on Tuesday, ACE Group has announced a slew of new appointments and a newly acquired 60.9 percent ownership of The Siam Commercial Samaggi Insurance PCL, a general insurance company in Thailand.
ACE Group announced that James Wixtead now is SVP, ACE Group and president of ACE Tempest Re Group, the company’s global reinsurance business. Wixtead, currently division president of ACE Tempest Re USA, will succeed Jacques Bonneau, who previously was named ACE Group EVP, global underwriting.
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Wixtead will be responsible for leading global reinsurance business operations, which offer a range of traditional and specialty reinsurance products to P&C insurers. Wixtead will report to ACE Group chairman and CEO Evan G. Greenberg.
“It is my pleasure to appoint Jim Wixtead to head our global reinsurance business,” Greenberg said. “I’ve known and worked with Jim for over 10 years, I have witnessed his underwriting discipline and I have watched him grow and develop into a great executive. With more than 25 years of reinsurance industry experience, Jim has done an outstanding job leading ACE’s North American reinsurance business and has earned this well-deserved promotion. I have every confidence in his abilities to sustain ACE Tempest Re’s record of excellence.”
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Also, Michael O’Donnell has been appointed division president, ACE Tempest Re USA, succeeding Wixtead. O’Donnell is currently SVP, responsible for ACE Tempest Re USA’s workers’ comp and alternative risk business units and oversight of its claims operations. O’Donnell will lead ACE’s reinsurance business in the United States and continue to report to Wixtead.
“Mike has demonstrated both leadership excellence and broad industry expertise in his eight years with ACE and 15 years in the reinsurance business. He is a natural to now lead our U.S. reinsurance operations,” Wixtead said. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mike and the entire team to provide our clients with stable, secure and substantial capacity as well as creative alternative risk solutions.”
Also, Jacques Bonneau has been appointed EVP global underwriting, with executive responsibility for advancing underwriting excellence across the company. Bonneau, currently ACE Group EVP and head of the global reinsurance business, will assume this new responsibility July 1. He will be responsible for general underwriting policy, underwriting and underwriting management best practices, and oversight of ACE Group’s global product boards, the company said. Bonneau also will have executive oversight of reinsurance strategies for ACE Group. William O’Farrell, ACE Group VP and chief reinsurance officer, will report to Bonneau.
“I’m pleased to appoint Jacques Bonneau to this important role for our company,” Greenberg said. “We are an underwriting company. Everything at ACE begins with the pursuit of underwriting excellence it is a never-ending journey. With more than 30 years of industry experience, Jacques is an underwriter’s underwriter. His underwriting insights and instincts will benefit all areas of our company.”
Also, Ed Zaccaria has been appointed chief underwriting officer, Insurance—North American. Zaccaria, currently division president, regional operations, ACE USA, will work with insurance product line leaders and be responsible for underwriting practices, portfolio management, predictive and data analytics and the management of corporate underwriting staff. He will report to Vice Chairman John Lupica and Bonneau.
“There is no better insurance executive to lead our underwriting efforts in North America than Ed Zaccaria,” Lupica said. “Ed brings over three decades of industry experience and leadership at ACE to this new position. Ed is a thoughtful and deep insurance expert who will be terrific in driving ACE North America’s underwriting initiatives to ensure we sustain a track record of underwriting profitability.”
Also, Mattias Nordenberg has been appointed casualty manager, Nordics. Mattias will be responsible for expanding ACE’s casualty business in the Nordics in terms of premium volume and new product features. He has more than ten years of insurance experience and rejoins ACE from If Sweden, where he was a casualty inderwriter, industrials, responsible for major accounts. He will report to Bror Sandas, country president for ACE in the Nordics, and Jerome Salmon, casualty manager for ACE in continental Europe.
“Mattias’ appointment underlines our commitment to strengthening our presence in all of the four countries of the region and providing a market-leading casualty proposition for brokers and clients,” Salmon said. “Mattias’ breadth of experience will allow him to anticipate the evolving casualty needs of our customers and drive forward our plans for profitable growth in the Nordics. I look forward to working with him to further align our product proposition to current market requirements in the region.”
Also, Melanie Sandy was appointed partnerships marketing manager, A&H, in the United Kingdom. Sandy will be responsible for managing ACE’s direct marketing activity and developing new partnerships with retailers, banks and other major business-to-consumer organizations, the company said. She will report to Colin Wallace, head of partnerships, A&H, in the UK. Sandy has more than 16 years’ experience working with consumer insurance brands. She joins ACE from More Th>n, where she was responsible for the strategy and product development of the direct to consumer motor portfolio.
“Melanie’s appointment underlines our commitment to working with new partners to develop compelling, added value insurance propositions for them and their clients,” said
Collin Wallace, head of partnerships for ACE, A&H. “I am certain that Melanie, with her extensive consumer insurance experience, will be instrumental in driving this effort forward. I am looking forward to working with her.”
