HDI swoops for Neon duo to build UK political & credit risk team

Specialty lines insurer HDI Global Specialty SE has launched a political and credit risk team in London with the hires of Nick Robinson and Anthony Vaughan from Neon Underwriting.

The new London team will work in collaboration with HDI Global Specialty’s existing political risk team based in Stockholm.

Robinson joins as head of political risk & structured credit in London. He has more than 20 years’ political risk insurance experience including establishing and growing a PRI book at Marketform, latterly Neon Syndicate. This included CEND (Confiscation, Expropriation, Nationalization and Deprivation), Contract Frustration and Structured Credit insurance. He has also worked at AIG London, Wellington Underwriting and JLT.

Vaughan joins as senior analyst and underwriter. He is a CFA charterholder by training and started at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority in 2002. He then spent nine years with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation in various positions, lastly as a credit analyst in London. In 2017, he joined Neon Underwriting and played a key role in setting up Neon’s Structured Credit business plan.

HDI Global Specialty SE UK managing director, Richard Taylor said: “I’m pleased to be welcoming Nick and Anthony to the London team at HDI Global Specialty SE. Since the creation of the business at the start of last year, we have said we will be looking for opportunities to expand our offering to the market which now extends to Credit products including both public and private obligor default and lenders protection alongside existing Political Risk coverage. This is another example of the business delivering on its stated strategy of organic and inorganic growth.”