The insurance sector has seen a series of senior appointments and leadership changes in recent days.
Lancashire Holdings has confirmed that John Spence, CEO of Lancashire Syndicates Limited, and Hayler Johnston, CEO of Lancashire Insurance Company Limited, will retire in the first quarter of 2026.
They will be succeeded by internal promotions. Rachel Sabbarton (pictured above, left), currently CUO of Lancashire Insurance Company (UK) Limited, will take over as CEO of Lancashire Syndicates Limited, retaining oversight of marine, energy and specialty lines. Jennifer Wilson (pictured above, right), group financial planning and analysis director, will become CEO of Lancashire Insurance Company Limited.
Further changes include Matthew Thomas being appointed CUO for Lancashire Insurance Company (UK) Limited, Colette Murphy becoming deputy CUO and group head of property D&F, and Tom Sutton and David Chalk taking on deputy active underwriter roles for Syndicates 2010 and 3010 respectively.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has appointed Franco Masciovecchio as country manager for Switzerland.
Masciovecchio, who previously held a senior property and construction underwriting role in Europe, will lead growth in the DACH region, focusing on commercial and industrial risks.
In the health insurance sector, Vitality has appointed Rishi Patel (pictured immediately above) as clinical operations director.
The Fidelis Partnership has appointed Conor O’Riordan as group CFO, succeeding Hinal Patel.
O’Riordan, who has held senior positions at the group since 2021, including chief capacity officer, has been involved in major capital transactions and the firm’s bifurcation from Fidelis Insurance Group.
Blenheim Underwriting has appointed Alex Stratton-Thomsett as casualty underwriter starting January 2026.
He will work alongside David Barber to expand the MGA’s casualty portfolio. Stratton-Thomsett was previously lead underwriter for US casualty at MS Amlin.
