RSA Strengthens Regional Team
Announces five new additions to Marine Cargo, Construction & Engineering and Risk Management Teams
RSA, a world leading insurance group and one of the largest insurers in the region, recently announced five new additions to the regional team, through the appointment of John O’Brien as Marine Manager; Terry Dunning as Claims Manager (Construction & Engineering); Jon Gilliott as Middle East Property Manager and Dean Pola and Ben Hazelton as Senior Consultants – Risk Management Solutions.
These appointments will support the company’s ambitious regional growth strategy for 2008, and illustrates RSA’s commitment to developing its business in Marine Cargo, Property, Construction & Engineering and Risk Management – industry sectors that have been instrumental to the company’s success over the years.
In his capacity, O’Brien will be responsible for leading the Marine Cargo Portfolio across the Middle East, while Dunning will be tasked with the handling and resolution of high value, complex Construction & Engineering claims. Gilliott will be responsible for leading RSA’s property portfolio across the Middle East region to support delivery of its overall regional business strategy. As a Senior Consultant for RSA’s Construction practice, Pola will be responsible for providing an efficient and effective risk assessment and risk control service, while Hazelton will focus on undertaking detailed risk surveys within the Middle East.
Scott Pickering, CEO Asia & Middle East, commented on the new appointments: “The Middle East represents a significant growth area for RSA, and the appointment of these talented professionals is part of our ongoing plans to develop our business further in the region.”
“Since the launch of the new RSA brand, we have committed ourselves to sourcing and employing the best possible talent. Each of these new appointments brings with
them a wealth of experience in the insurance industry and we are proud to welcome them to the RSA family. “
O’Brien will lead and develop strategies for the Middle East Marine Cargo portfolio in order to achieve the agreed business strategy and targets. He joins RSA from Chubb Insurance, where he held the position of Marine Underwriting Manager in Australia. Prior to that, he held various positions at Vero National Marine, CNA Europe and ACE Europe.
Dunning will act as a technical reference point to local claims operations across Asia and Middle East, and will contribute to major regional initiatives and assist in their successful implementation. He brings more than 20 years of international experience in the insurance industry, having worked in Europe and Asia.
Gilliott will provide technical underwriting support throughout the region and act as matrix leader for all Middle East Property leaders and personnel within the region. Jon brings to RSA a significant amount of expertise and client facing experience. He joins RSA from JLT in Australia, where he most recently held a role as National Broking Manager.
Pola joins RSA from FM Global in Sydney, where he held the position of Senior Consultant Engineer, providing loss prevention expertise for various infrastructure projects. Pola will be responsible for evaluating loss expectancies, conducting survey programs and developing recommendations aimed at improving client risk profiles.
Hazelton will be responsible for working with our customers by undertaking detailed risk assessments for allocated underwriting cases at customer locations, and delivering recommendations based on these assessments. He also joins RSA from FM Global, where he worked as Senior Consultant Engineer for the past four years. Prior to that, he held the position of Project Manager at Honeywell Limited.
David Ellis, Regional Director for Underwriting, Claims and Reinsurance commented: “The addition of these professionals to our team is a reflection of our desire to support our customers by providing access to experienced risk and insurance practitioners to support the growth of their businesses.”
Following the re-branding strategy launched in April and the continued growth in 2008, RSA has shown commitment to building a strong regional team for its emerging markets in Asia and the Middle East, and thus strengthening its position as the preferred insurer among both individual and commercial customers. RSA Middle East recently announced its first half results for 2008, reporting profitable growth of 45% compared to last year.
