Ed appoints new chair and CEO to build LatAm business

Reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker Ed has appointed Mike Hernandez to the newly-created role of chairman, and Agustin de Freitas as CEO of Ed Broking LatAm.

Hernandez, who previously served as CEO of Ed Broking LatAm, has nearly three decades of experience in the Latin American insurance market. He is tasked with overseeing Ed’s plans to expand its presence by developing partnerships with local experts throughout the region.

De Freitas has over 20 years of reinsurance experience in the Latin American and Caribbean regions. He joined Ed in 2014 from Redbridge where he served as head of business development. Prior to this, he worked in regional roles for Gallagher Re as AVP facultative business Latin American and at International Reinsurance Managers as AVP responsible for business operations in Latin America. He began his insurance career in 1994 as a P&C broker with De Freitas Insurance Brokers in Montevideo, Uruguay.

"The opportunity in LatAm is clear," said CEO Steve Hearn. "This is a dynamic region with a growing demand for products which genuinely reflect local requirements.

"Our strategy will facilitate rather than hinder the development of local expertise. We will not compete with domestic brokers, but will partner with those intermediaries who share our aspirations for this region and provide access to global capital and international expertise. Mike and Agustin are the ideal people to spearhead this effort and I am certain that our LatAm business will continue to flourish under their leadership.

"This is a defining moment for our LatAm business," Hernandez added. "We have tremendous and challenging growth ambitions and I am confident that we now have the foundation on which to build a business in the region which will truly stand apart."

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