People Moves: Canopius Names WTW’s Maitra as Group Head of Sustainability; Gallagher Re Hires Bangs and Swindell for Asia Pacific

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Canopius and Gallagher Re.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Canopius Names WTW’s Maitra as Group Head of Sustainability

Canopius Group, the global specialty re/insurer, announced the appointment of Adhiraj Maitra as group head of Sustainability, effective immediately.

Reporting to Lindsay Astor, chief of staff and head of Strategic Development, Maitra will be responsible for Canopius Group’s ESG position worldwide. This will involve developing a cohesive ESG strategy to meet regulatory requirements, including a forward-looking responsible underwriting policy, a sustainable investment approach and a strategy to further develop a positive and inclusive culture.

He joins Canopius from WTW where he was the Global Head of ESG and Climate Change, for the insurance consulting business. Prior to which, Maitra spent 6 years at Lloyd’s of London as Senior Manager, heading up the Syndicate Capital team and before that he was an Actuarial Non-Life Advisor at KPMG. He also has prior experience in capital modelling and pricing.

Astor said: “Adhiraj’s experience in helping insurance companies create ESG propositions and drive strategic and innovative solutions to ensure a successful climate transition will provide immense value to Canopius as we build out a robust and effective ESG strategy.

“His deep understanding of analytics, underwriting and the regulatory environment makes him the perfect candidate to take on this newly created role. We are thrilled he is joining us to drive our business forward in this next critical phase of growth.”

Maitra added: “We are at a crucial juncture, where understanding the impact of the uncertainties around ESG and acting on it is it becoming a strategic and commercial priority for insurance companies. While there are many challenges faced by the industry, there are many opportunities as well.

“Innovation and collaboration across organisations and looking beyond a one-year horizon are some of the key factors that lead to commercial success and improved resilience. Canopius has demonstrated great leadership in this in recent years and its new leadership is demonstrating the insight, drive and ambition to take the business to the next exciting stage. I am delighted to be joining the Canopius family and to be part of this change over the next decade.”

Gallagher Re Hires Bangs and Swindell for Asia Pacific Team

Gallagher Re, the global reinsurance broker, today announces the appointments of David Bangs as head of Gallagher Re APAC UK, based in London, and Robin Swindell as executive officer, based in Tokyo.

Bangs is returning to Gallagher Re having started his career with Willis Re in London in 2005, before being transferred to Tokyo where he spent five years followed by a transfer to Singapore. Most recently, Bangs was head of Japan for AXIS Re.

Bangs brings a wealth of knowledge to Gallagher Re, having spent the past 15 years in Asia in a variety of senior roles based in both Tokyo and Singapore. In his role, he will work with Gallagher Re’s regional teams to serve its extensive APAC client base.

He has significant experience coordinating complex client relationships and developing opportunities across APAC. His broad relationships, coupled with extensive market knowledge, will further enhance Gallagher Re’s client-focused offering and bring valuable experience and continuity to its APAC network.

Concurrently, Robin Swindell, who is currently responsible for Gallagher Re APAC UK, will transfer to Tokyo, joining Japan CEO Tsuyoshi Noguchi‘s senior management team as an executive officer. In this role, he will play a vital part in the expansion of Gallagher Re’s service offering for the Japanese market and the broader region. Swindell has more than 30 years of reinsurance experience at Willis Re and now Gallagher Re, primarily in the Japanese and US markets.

“As we continue to invest in the depth and capability of our offering across Asia Pacific, appointments such as these ensure that Gallagher Re is positioned to serve the evolving requirements of our clients in the region,” commented Mark Morley, managing director, head of Asia Pacific. “Both David and Robin are vastly experienced in both Japan and regional markets. We are very pleased to see them take up their new appointments and to welcome David back to the team.”

“These appointments reflect our commitment to the Japanese market under Gallagher ownership and demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in our ability to provide market leading reinsurance advisory and execution services to our client base,” said Noguchi.

“Robin is a well-respected figure in the Japanese market combining extensive experience of global reinsurance management together with deep understanding of the Japanese business culture. Together with the appointment of David in London, he will add great strength and depth to the team,” he added.