Conduit hires former Arch chief to drive its culture

Bermuda reinsurer  Conduit Holdings has appointed a former leader from Arch Capital Group in a move it said is designed to enhance both its culture and financial performance.

Michelle Seymour Smith joins as a non-executive director. She is based in Bermuda where she enjoyed a long career in the insurance industry spanning more than 20 years since qualifying as a chartered accountant with Arthur Anderson.

She most recently served as the chief transformation officer of Arch Capital Group until 2019 where she spearheaded a global initiative to establish a group-wide culture of continuous improvement to grow business and improve operational efficiency. Immediately prior to that, she was the chief financial officer and chief operating officer of Arch Reinsurance, building and overseeing the financial operations of the insurance, reinsurance and mortgage divisions as well as those of Arch's international subsidiary reinsurance divisions.

Before joining Arch in 2004, Smith held positions at XL Capital and Zurich Insurance Global Energy.

Neil Eckert (pictured left), group executive chairman, said: "We are delighted to welcome Michelle to the Board of Conduit. We are lucky to be able to draw on her wealth of expertise and experience, not just on the financial side of our business where she has had an illustrious career, but also in the cultural aspects of building a business, where she has left a trail of success in her wake. I very much look forward to working with her.

Trevor Carvey (pictured right), group chief executive officer, added: "Michelle has an exceptional reputation in our industry. She is an accomplished and respected business leader and shares all of the values that form the foundations of the business we are building at Conduit."

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