Aspen Names Villers to Head Financial and Professional Lines Unit
Bermuda-based Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited announced that it has appointed Rupert Villers, effective April 27, 2009 as head of its newly combined Financial and Professional Lines Insurance business segment. He will be based in London and will report directly to Aspen’s CEO Chris O’Kane.
Aspen also noted that in “conjunction with Mr. Villers’ appointment, Aspen has combined its Financial Institutions, Professional Lines, and Management and Technology Liability Insurance underwriting units into a new business segment to harness the Company’s expertise and capture growth opportunities in those lines.”
O’Kane cited Villers “expertise”, as a valuable asset for Aspen. He also noted: “Insurance is becoming a larger part of Aspen’s overall business and we are well-positioned to benefit from the improved market environment we anticipate both this year and in 2010. Considerable growth opportunities exist throughout insurance, particularly in lines such as financial and professional, marine and energy liability and excess casualty, aviation and other specialty lines, where prices are stabilizing and in many instances hardening. Our appointment of Rupert affirms our commitment to attract top quality talent and to pursue disciplined growth where we see the greatest opportunity.”
Aspen noted that Villers has “held a number of positions in the insurance industry.” It described his career as follows: He co-founded SVB Holdings (subsequently renamed Novae Holdings), and in his seventeen years there he was Chief Executive Officer for 11 years and underwriter of Syndicate 1007 for three. Under his leadership, SVB grew its managed premium capacity from £77 million [$108 million] to £474 million [$665.5 million], established itself as a major insurer in the London financial and professional lines market and successfully listed on the London Stock Exchange. Most recently, he has been Chairman of APJ Continuation Ltd, a company he co-founded in 2005, whose major subsidiary, APJ (Asset Protection Jersey Limited) writes a specialist book of kidnap and ransom insurance.
Source: Aspen Insurance Holdings – www.aspen.bm