Zaffino Exits Everest to Join Ascot as Group President

Ascot has announced the appointment of Jonathan M. Zaffino as group president. He will oversee the organization’s U.S. and Bermuda platforms and will also have executive responsibility for Ethos Specialty, a managing general underwriter in the U.S. market.

Zaffino has served in a variety of underwriting and brokerage leadership roles throughout his 26-year career. Currently, he is president and CEO of Everest Insurance, and executive vice president of Everest Re Group Ltd., roles he assumed in 2018. He was president of Everest National Insurance Co. from 2015 to 2016 before serving president of Everest Insurance North America from 2016-2018.

He will join Ascot in mid-June after his current contract with Everest expires.

Prior to joining Everest, Zaffino was president and CEO of Victor O. Schinnerer, a Marsh subsidiary, from 2013-2015 and before that a managing director at Marsh for more than three years.

At Ascot, Zaffino will be based in the company’s New York office and will report to Andrew Brooks, group chief executive officer.

Juan C. Andrade, Everest Re president and chief executive officer, thanked the departing Zaffino for his contributions to helping “build Everest Insurance into a world-class specialty insurer.”

Andrade, who left Chubb last August to join Everest Re, succeeded Dominic J. Addesso as president and CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2020.

Ascot Group is a global niche specialty insurer and reinsurer with four operating divisions: Ascot Underwriting, the Managing Agency for Syndicate 1414 at Lloyd’s; Ascot Bermuda, which writes excess insurance and reinsurance and manages alternative capital vehicles; Ascot U.S., providing specialty insurance to middle market customers in the U.S., and; Ethos Specialty, a New York headquartered MGU offering underwriting and insurance services to third parties.