Lloyd’s appoints new US general counsel as Gunset departs

Lloyd’s has promoted Sabrina Miesowitz to US general counsel as Joe Gunset is retiring from the role after almost twenty years at the re/insurance marketplace.

Miesowitz, who was formerly the deputy US general counsel, will take on her new responsibilities when Gunset retires at the end of March. She will be responsible for developing Lloyd’s regulatory strategy in the US and managing government affairs with US regulators at federal and state level. Miesowitz will focus on finding business-friendly solutions to help the Lloyd’s market meet its US compliance requirements.

Miesowitz joined Lloyd’s in 2010 from law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf. For almost ten years she has worked closely with US regulators and provided legal support with the aim of protecting and expanding Lloyd’s access to the US re/insurance market.

Gunset joined Lloyd’s in the summer of 2000 as its first full-time US general counsel. His early years at Lloyd’s were focused on working with lawmakers in the US following Reconstruction and Renewal (R&R), a market wide restructure in response to losses in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

He is said to have been instrumental in helping to amend US state and federal laws and increase market access for Lloyd’s. He also worked with US policymakers and others in the insurance sector to help create the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) in 2002 (which has since been renewed four times, most recently in 2019). TRIA provides a vital government backstop, which in turn enables the commercial re/insurance market to provide terrorism insurance for US policyholders.

After leaving Lloyd's, Gunset intends to move into a strategic advisory role in the New York office of the law firm McGlinchey Stafford.

Hank Watkins, regional director & president of Lloyd’s Americas region, said: “I would like to congratulate Sabrina on her well-earned promotion to the role of US General Counsel. Her familiarity with the US legal and regulatory system and experience working with Lloyd’s unique structure position Sabrina and her team well for continued success. My colleagues and I will continue working closely with her in support of growth and innovation opportunities for Lloyd’s in our largest market.

Watkins added: “I’d also like to express my gratitude to Joe for his dedication and service to the Lloyd’s market. He was instrumental in bringing the market through challenging times in the early 2000’s and has led a number of successful efforts since then to facilitate the growth of Lloyd’s US business and position the market for future growth and innovation.”