10th Anniversary!
Thursday 1st December 2011
The Ballroom, Grosvenor House Hotel
Park Lane, London W1
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2011 Judges
David Howden
Chief Executive,
Hyperion Insurance Group
David Howden is Chief Executive of Hyperion Insurance Group, the international insurance and reinsurance distribution group with divisions in broking and underwriting, including the companies Howden Broking Group, DUAL International and CFC.
The group has businesses across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the USA, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand and, as an independent group, occupies key positions in the markets in which it operates, employing more than 900 people in 50 offices spanning 25 countries. The group holds a Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Over the past ten years, the group's growth has been phenomenal, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 30%.
What is a global group today was a business that David started in a small office in London in 1994. He started his career as an insurance broker at Alexander Howden in 1980 and has over 30 years' experience in Lloyd's and the London and overseas markets. Since he founded the group he has been the driving force behind its expansion. His focus is on leading the group's M&A activities as well as directing and implementing the group's growth and direction.
Barrie Cornes
Insurance Analyst,
Panmure Gordon
Barrie started his insurance career in 1985 in Reading as graduate trainee at Royal Insurance. He moved to the City office of Royal in 1987 and became a non-life property and casualty underwriter before progressing to the role of an underwriting manager.
In 1996 he became RSA's Investor Relations manager before starting his analytical career as a sell side insurance analyst at Charterhouse Securities/ING in 1998. In 2001 he became the UK life and general insurance analyst at Credit Agricole Cheuvreux and has been responsible for insurance research (both life and general insurance) at stockbrokers Panmure Gordon since January 2007.
Recent awards include 2011 Extel survey ranked No.4 (small mid cap), 2011 Starmine ranked No.2 for insurance earnings accuracy (2010: No.1 and 8th overall). In June 2010 he was the media's most quoted analyst globally across all sectors.
David Lang
Head of Claims,
Lloyd's
David's career in the London Market started in 1986 working for actuarial consultants Bacon & Woodrow where he qualified as a Fellow of Institute of Actuaries in 1993.
David subsequently moved to QBE European Operations in order to assist in building their Lloyd's Operations. David was Managing Director of Limit Underwriting Limited between 2004 and 2008 with overall responsibility for QBE's Lloyd's Operations, chairing the LMA CSRB in 2007 as well as being a member of a number of committees within the Lloyd's market.
In 2008 David joined Ernst & Young in the insurance sector team before moving to Lloyd's as Head of Claims in 2011, where he is responsible for the claims performance management framework for the Lloyd's market together with all aspects of operational and process reform.
James Vickers
Chief Executive,
Willis Re International
James is the Chairman of Willis Re International and Specialty, which, together with Willis Re Inc. (U.S.) and Willis Capital Markets, make up Willis Re. His specific responsibilities include strategy, client development and senior client relationships around the world, specialising in the Japanese market.
James moved into the role of Chairman in 2007, one year after being appointed Chief Executive. As Chief Executive, he represented all reinsurance and wholesale activities for Japan Global, which had been formed to coordinate the Willis' Group entire activities with regard to Japanese-owned and controlled business.
In 2001, James was appointed Managing Director, and in 1995, he joined the Management Committee of the Global Reinsurance Business Unit, where he took responsibility for the Far and Middle East region and was promoted to Regional Director. James was appointed Executive Director in 1987, three years after rejoining the Asian and Japanese Reinsurance team in the U.K. In 1983, he was seconded to an associated company in New York to help develop reinsurers in the U.S. market and to support international treaty business. James joined Willis Faber & Dumas in 1978 as a broker in the Reinsurance Division handling Asian and Japanese Non Marine Treaty business.
James Sutherland
Chief Executive,
Qatar Insurance Services LLC, trading as Qatarlyst
James began his career with Sedgwick Forbes in London in 1978 as a management trainee working on UK based multi-national accounts, specialising in Risk Management. In 1984 he moved to Asia with a UK/US insurance company joint venture and spent the next 11 years working in various underwriting and senior management positions in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
He moved back to the UK in 1995 to rejoin Sedgwick and then moved to Lloyd's of London where he spent nearly 10 years, latterly as Head of Development and Operations for Lloyd's overseas offices and trading platforms. He joined Qatar Financial Centre in 2008 as Director of Business Development for Insurance and Reinsurance and was appointed as CEO of Qatarlyst in 2009. Qatarlyst, based in Qatar is an innovative subsidiary of the Qatar Financial Centre that is improving business process and access to markets through the creation of a community of insurers, reinsurers and brokers around a web based insurance placement and fulfillment platform.
Shaun Hooper
Chief Executive,
Cooper Gay & Co Ltd
Shaun Hooper is Chief Executive of Cooper Gay & Co Ltd, the Lloyd's and London market broker, part of Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Ltd, the largest independent global wholesale and reinsurance broker.
Shaun joined Cooper Gay (Holdings) Ltd in 2009, with responsibility for co-ordinating and developing global operations to enhance client service, and to support the company's growth strategy. In 2010, on combination with Swett & Crawford, Shaun was appointed Group Head of Operations for the new group. In June 2011, Shaun reverted to Cooper Gay to assume responsibility as the CEO.
Before joining Cooper Gay, Shaun was Chief Operating Officer of Bluefin Insurance Services.
Stephen Lewis
Chairman,
BILA
Stephen joined Clyde & Co in 2004 as a consultant. He is a member of the firm's international insurance and reinsurance group. Stephen joined the firm from a leading “magic circle” practice where he was a partner for nearly 20 years.
He has extensive experience in all areas of insurance and reinsurance and specialises in arbitration, litigation and advisory work.
Stephen is a frequent writer on legal issues and regularly speaks at conferences and seminars.
He has over 30 years's experience working in litigation and dispute resolution and since 1983 he has been primarily focusing on insurance and reinsurance.
