MS Amlin appoints chief operating officer amid business repositioning

Global re/insurer MS Amlin has appointed a new chief operating officer (COO) and chief people officer as new CEO Simon Beale repositions the business for the long term.

Simon Smith joins MS Amlin in the role of chief operating officer in July, 2018. Smith joins from Willis Towers Watson (WTW), where he held senior operations roles for over ten years. As CEO of its Global Solutions & Delivery, Simon led a team of 3,500 employees. Prior to that, Smith was chief operating officer of WTW Asia Pacific and he started his career at GE.

Vivian Leinster has been appointed to the role of chief people officer. Leinster, who brings over twenty years of experience in human resources, will be responsible for MS Amlin’s human resources function. Vivian was previously at Bupa UK where she was people director since 2014. Prior to that she was at BT.

The formation of the new leadership team comes shortly after Beale became CEO, with James Illingworth becoming chief underwriting officer and Martyn Rodden chief risk officer.

Previously chief underwriting officer of MS Amlin, Beale was promoted to CEO effective April 2018.

“The hires demonstrate our ability to attract leading industry talent and their wealth of experience and proven ability in successfully implementing change will be invaluable as we embark on an exciting new chapter in our history,” Beale said.

“I am confident they will both make a significant contribution to the programme of initiatives underway as we build a modern, relevant business with a sustainable and profitable long-term future. I look forward to working with them both as we move forward with our plans for MS Amlin,” Beale added.

The MS Amlin Lloyd’s syndicate 2001 posted a loss of £499.7 million for 2017, driven by a sharp increase in net claims. This compares to a loss of £35.1 million incurred in 2016. Net claims increased to £1.33 billion in 2017 from £813.5 million in 2016.

Syndicate Research (SRL) has downgraded the A-^ (Good) Continuity Opinion of Lloyd’s Syndicate 2001 (MS Amlin Underwriting) to B+^ (Above Average) following the announcement of its 2017 annual results and put it under review for further possible downgrade.