Fidelis Insurance has promoted Shane O'Donovan (pictured above) to group chief actuary, elevating the executive who has led its Ireland actuarial function since 2020 to oversee global operations.
Jonny Strickle, who previously held the group chief actuarial officer role, was promoted to group managing director in 2023. O'Donovan will continue reporting to Strickle, who maintains oversight of the actuarial function.
The promotion reflects Dublin's growing strategic importance within Fidelis's global footprint. The company established its Dublin office in 2018 to ensure continuity of EEA operations post-Brexit and to grow its Continental book, particularly in specialty and bespoke insurance.
Dublin has been designated as a key center for technology, data analytics and actuarial teams within Fidelis' operations. The Irish capital has emerged as a European specialty insurance hub with government support for growing the sector.
The Fidelis Partnership – a separately owned underwriting business – transferred its European headquarters from Brussels to Dublin in December 2025, underscoring Ireland's rising profile.
The Partnership now employs over 80 people in Dublin and expects to write approximately $800 million in premium during 2025. Fidelis, meanwhile, operates offices in Bermuda, London, Dublin, Abu Dhabi, New York and Miami, with Dublin serving both regulatory and operational strategic functions for European market access.
In his expanded role, O'Donovan will manage the optimization of capital allocation and deployment across underwriting partners and opportunities to support the company's strategic objectives.
"I am delighted to announce Shane's well-deserved promotion to group chief actuary," Strickle said in a statement. He noted the promotion reflects O'Donovan's contributions over the past five years, both within the actuarial function and across the broader business.
Strickle added that O'Donovan has been instrumental in advancing strategic objectives and building out actuarial capabilities at the firm.
O'Donovan brings more than 15 years of actuarial experience to the expanded role, working from the company's Dublin office. His responsibilities have included strengthening the enterprise-wide risk framework. He holds a master's degree in actuarial science from Cass Business School and a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Trinity College Dublin.
The promotion comes after Fidelis posted record results in the third quarter of 2025, achieving a combined ratio of 79.0%, the company's best quarterly performance as a publicly traded entity.
The firm reported an annualized operating return on average equity of 21.4%, with gross premiums written growing 7.5% to $797.5 million.
Before Strickle's tenure leading the actuarial function, Ian Turner served as group chief actuary from 2017. Nitin Patel held the position from September 2015 to July 2017 before becoming group CFO, company records show.
