Simon Ashworth is a Managing Director and is Head of Analytics & Research for Global Insurance. Full Bio

Simon Ashworth is a Managing Director and is Head of Analytics & Research for Global Insurance.

Previous he was an Analytical Manager with responsibility for insurance ratings across the U.K., the Netherlands, France and Ireland from 2015-2018. Before taking this role, he was primary analyst for many of the ratings across the U.K. life insurance industry but also in the Netherlands, in particular Aviva, NN Group, Legal & General and Prudential.

Before joining S&P Global Ratings in early 2011, Simon trained as an actuary and qualified in 2009 with Ernst & Young.

Simon graduated from the London School of Economics with a BSc Hons in Economics. Minimize

Lynn Bachstetter is a Senior Director for the Global Insurance Product Management team at S&P Global Market Intelligence. Full Bio

Lynn Bachstetter is a Senior Director for the Global Insurance Product Management team at S&P Global Market Intelligence. In this role, Lynn helps oversee the operational and strategic management of the Insurance Group. The Insurance Group is responsible for delivering company-specific and sector information to 2,000+ clients, including investment banks, asset management firms, global and regional insurance companies, brokers, consultants and accounting firms. Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Lynn was a credit ratings analyst with Fitch Ratings covering insurance companies. Lynn holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Villanova University. Minimize

Johannes Bender is a Director in S&P Global Ratings, based in Frankfurt. Full Bio

Johannes Bender is a Director in S&P Global Ratings, based in Frankfurt. He is lead analyst for global reinsurance and insurance markets in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Central & Eastern Europe. He joined S&P Global Ratings in November 2004.

Before joining S&P Global Ratings, Johannes worked three years for German public-law insurer SV SparkassenVersicherung mainly in asset management controlling.

He holds a MBA in insurance management from University of applied sciences Coburg and a diploma in Business Administration from University of Cooperative Education Mannheim and a Bachelor of Arts from Open University London. Minimize

Michelle joined S&P Global Ratings in 1998 and is a Managing Director in the Methodologies group focusing on Financial Services (Financial Institutions and Insurance). Full Bio

Michelle joined S&P Global Ratings in 1998 and is a Managing Director in the Methodologies group focusing on Financial Services (Financial Institutions and Insurance). She works on the development and enhancement of rating methodologies, and acts as a key spokesperson on analytical and credit trend issues, including hybrid capital.

In her previous roles at S&P Global Ratings, Michelle worked on rating consistency issues and was the primary analyst for a range of global financial institutions.

Previous to joining S&P Global Ratings, Michelle worked as a consultant, specialising in regulation and public policy, and as an economist at the Central Bank of Ireland.

Michelle holds an M.Litt and B.A. (Mod., First Class) in Economics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics (Distinction) from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. She also holds the ACCA’s Certified Diploma in Accounting & Finance and the Certificate in Financial Services (Irish professional banking exams). Minimize

Sylvain joined S&P Global Ratings in September 2018 as Chief EMEA Economist. Full Bio

Sylvain joined S&P Global Ratings in September 2018 as Chief EMEA Economist.

Before that, Sylvain worked for the French investment bank Natixis as head of Economics and Member of the General management of its German Branch.

Sylvain is member of the “ECB shadow Council”, the Handelsblatt’s panel of leading European economists, since November 2012 and a member of the Economic Advisory Group of the European Investment Bank since November 2016.

Sylvain holds doctorate degrees in economics from the Universities of Frankfurt and Lyon as well as a certification by the International Securities Market Association (ISMA). He teaches at the Paris Dauphine University for the Master in banking & Finance. Minimize

Mark Button is a Senior Director and Criteria Subject Matter Expert in S&P Global Ratings’ methodologies group, based in London. Full Bio

Mark Button is a Senior Director and Criteria Subject Matter Expert in S&P Global Ratings’ methodologies group, based in London. In his current role, Mark focuses on criteria development, primarily in the insurance sector, a role he has held since 2015. Prior to this, he was a senior analyst covering many of the largest insurance groups based in the U.K. and the Netherlands and was the analyst for the U.K. Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment (BICRA). Mark was part of the team that developed S&P Global Ratings’ criteria for rating insurance companies, the insurance capital model criteria, and the methodology for hybrid capital instruments.

Mark holds a degree in Mathematics and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

He joined S&P Global Ratings in 1996. Minimize

Daniel Clarke leads the Centre for Disaster Protection, an initiative that seeks to find better ways to protect poor and vulnerable people from the impact of disasters. Full Bio

Daniel Clarke leads the Centre for Disaster Protection, an initiative that seeks to find better ways to protect poor and vulnerable people from the impact of disasters. The Centre works to influence global policy on financing responses to disasters, while working directly with developing countries to improve their resilience through early action and better financial planning. It works across the development, humanitarian and financial sectors, offering analytics, innovative solutions, impartial advice and training.

Daniel is an actuary and development economist. He has worked with more than forty developing country governments on disaster risk finance in close collaboration with bilateral and multilateral development institutions, and the private insurance and reinsurance industry. An influential voice in the field of disaster risk finance, Daniel’s publications include the book Dull Disasters? How planning ahead will make a difference (Oxford University Press), co-authored with Professor Stefan Dercon.

He has a first class degree from Cambridge University in Mathematics in Computer Science and a D.Phil. in Economics from the University of Oxford, and is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries. Minimize

As Global Head of Research, Alexandra is leading the research strategy across all regions and asset classes for S&P Global Ratings. Full Bio

As Global Head of Research, Alexandra is leading the research strategy across all regions and asset classes for S&P Global Ratings. This includes the publication of research articles on key themes including the credit cycle, China, Brexit, emerging markets, leveraged finance, and tech disruption. She oversees the Credit Conditions Committee, which is a global credit risk monitoring platform that brings together expertise across industries and regions to assess global credit risks and macro trends and develops analytical insights to help S&P Global Ratings analysts identify contagion mechanisms, and potential ratings impacts. She chairs the Women Research Council, which publishes research on the impact of gender diversity on companies and markets by leveraging S&P Global unique data and expertise.

Prior to that, she was the Head of Corporate Ratings in EMEA, managing a team of 140 analysts spanning 10 offices and covering over 1,000 credit ratings on corporate issuers operating in multiple industries across the EMEA region.
In her previous role as Head of Methodology for Sovereigns and Public Finance Ratings, she developed the methodology to assess the credit risk of sovereign governments, multilateral lending institutions, local and regional governments and public enterprises. She started at S&P Global Ratings in 1995 as a public finance credit analyst and moved into leadership roles, developing an extensive experience in credit analysis across multiple asset classes.

Alexandra started her career with the consulting firm Arthur Andersen. She holds a master from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) in Economy and Finance. Minimize

Richard is co-founder and CEO at Cytora Full Bio

Richard is co-founder and CEO at Cytora, where he leads product and business strategy to scale Cytora's capabilities across the commercial re/insurance underwriting workflow. Richard holds a Masters in Political Science from the University College of London. Prior to Cytora, Richard worked as a product strategist at eBaoTech, a cloud technology vendor to the insurance industry. Minimize

 

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Ali Karakuyu is a London-based Director, Lead Analyst, at S&P Global Ratings. Full Bio

Ali Karakuyu is a London-based Director, Lead Analyst, at S&P Global Ratings. He covers a broad range of life and non-life (re) insurance companies particularly Swiss Re, Standard Life Aberdeen and South Africa based life insurers. Ali chairs the Insurance Industry and Country Risk Assessment (IICRA) focus team, coordinating the analysis of about 100 IICRAs globally. He is also a hybrid specialist, chairs rating committees, publishes analytical commentaries, and represents S&P Global in external forums.

Before joining S&P Global Ratings in December 2006, Ali worked for another rating agency and held actuarial positions in the U.K. including the U.K. Government Actuary’s Department and the insurance broker firm Jardine Lloyd Thompson.

Ali holds a BSc degree in Actuarial science from the University of Kent at Canterbury and is a former member of the Institute of Actuaries in the U.K. Minimize

 

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Volker Kudszus is a Senior Director with S&P Global Ratings in Frankfurt. Full Bio

Volker Kudszus is a Senior Director with S&P Global Ratings in Frankfurt. As Sector Lead for insurance in German speaking and Nordic countries he is primary analyst for Prudential Plc, Sampo and Zurich Insurance Group. Volker is co-chairing the Global Multiline Insurance focus team, coordinating the analysis of the global “top 13” primary insurers. Since 2017 Volker is co-chair of Standard & Poor‘s Global Ratings’ IFRS 17 task force. Within his role Volker is a specialist for hybrid bond issues of European insurers.

Volker joined the company in January 2012 and was previously with Deka Investment for 5 years responsible for the Global Insurance Sector research. Before this, Volker worked 8 years with WestLB group in Düsseldorf in insurance equity research and insurance asset management.

Volker holds a diploma (Dipl. Math.) in Mathematics and Physics from University of Münster. Minimize

Donald Lacey is Chief Operating Officer and a managing director at Ping An Global Voyager. Full Bio

Donald Lacey is Chief Operating Officer and a managing director at Ping An Global Voyager, a $1bn venture fund focused on opportunities in Fintech and Healthtech. Mr. Lacey joined Ping An from Citigroup, where he worked as a managing director in a variety of corporate and investment banking roles across Asia Pacific. Prior to moving to Asia in 2007, he held investment and advisory positions at Citigroup Global Markets and Goldman Sachs Asset Management in New York. Mr. Lacey has an SB from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a JD from Harvard Law School. Minimize

Milena Lacheta is Aon’s global IFRS 17 lead for Reinsurance Solutions and leads regulatory and ratings advisory in EMEA. Full Bio

Milena Lacheta is Aon’s global IFRS 17 lead for Reinsurance Solutions and leads regulatory and ratings advisory in EMEA. She brings a decade of diverse experience in insurance valuation: advisory, standard setting, regulatory and M&A. Her IFRS 17 experience started when she worked in EIOPA’s group to determine asset valuation and contract boundary rules for Solvency II, and when those rules were finalized she joined the IASB to help develop what today is IFRS 17. She then moved to advise clients on implementation, now focusing on reinsurance solutions and capital advisory at Aon. Minimize

Richard Lovie is an Editor in the S&P Global Market Intelligence news team, focusing on global insurance and European financial institutions. Full Bio

Richard Lovie is an Editor in the S&P Global Market Intelligence news team, focusing on global insurance and European financial institutions. He has spent nine years with S&P Global Market Intelligence and SNL Financial, prior to which he spent a number of years working for newspapers in Georgia, Florida and Colorado. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Minimize

 

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Dr. Michael Menhart is Munich Re Group’s Chief Economist and Head of the Economics, Sustainability & Public Affairs Central Division, and he reports to the CEO. Full Bio

Dr. Michael Menhart is Munich Re Group’s Chief Economist and Head of the Economics, Sustainability & Public Affairs Central Division, and he reports to the CEO.

In this role, he is responsible for Economic and Insurance Market Research at Munich Re. He also leads the Corporate Responsibility team and the Group’s Government Relations activities.

Before joining Munich Re in 2005, Dr. Menhart worked as a business consultant at McKinsey & Company, where he advised global companies operating in the High-Tech and insurance sector.

Dr. Menhart graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Augsburg, where he also obtained his doctorate from the Faculty of Business and Economics with a dissertation on innovation dynamics in the German insurance market. He obtained his M.A. in Economics at Wayne State University in Detroit, USA. Minimize

Ivo is Swiss Re's Managing Director for public sector business across Europe, Middle East and Africa and is based in Zurich. Full Bio

Ivo is Swiss Re's Managing Director for public sector business across Europe, Middle East and Africa and is based in Zurich. He also leads Swiss Re's product management for public sector solutions globally.

He started his career as specialist for natural hazards in 1998 and held various key positions at Swiss Re over the past 21 years, including Head of Sustainability & Emerging Risk Management, Managing Director of Corporate Strategy and Managing Director of Enterprise Steering, reporting directly to the CEO. He co-established Public Sector Solutions in 2011 and led Swiss Re's emerging market strategy efforts as well as its business activities across Asia-Pacific from Singapore until 2015. He then served as client executive for global accounts and business development activities with governments, development and non-governmental organisations until mid-2017.

Ivo holds a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Environmental Sciences from the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland (ETH), complemented by graduate studies in the US and post-graduate studies in Cost Rica. He is a member of OECD's High Level Advisory Board on the Financial Management of Catastrophes. Minimize

 

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Lauren is Managing Director Global Head of ESG Commercial. Full Bio

Lauren is Managing Director Global Head of ESG Commercial. A leader in carbon and environmental risk analysis, Trucost assesses risks relating to climate change, natural resource constraints and broader ESG factors, enabling companies and financial institutions to understand their ESG exposure to these factors, inform resilience and identify transformative solutions for a more sustainable global economy.

Lauren is an expert in sustainable finance and, over the last decade, has advised leading fund managers, pension funds, banks and DFIs globally on how to integrate climate change and natural capital analysis into their investment decision making.

Prior to joining Trucost, Lauren was a Senior Investment Associate in Global Equity Research at Putnam Investments specialising in Pharmaceuticals, Chemicals and Aerospace & Defence. She was also a consultant at DFID (UK Department for International Development), working on the Millennium Development Goals for Girls’ Education.

Lauren holds a BA (Hons) and MA from Cambridge University in Archaeology and Anthropology and an MSc in Anthropology and International Development from the London School of Economics. Lauren is a member of the Decision Maker Panel of the Bank of England and is also a regular speaker and respected commentator on environmental finance issues. Minimize

Dennis Sugrue is a senior director in Insurance Ratings. Full Bio

Dennis Sugrue is a senior director in Insurance Ratings. He chairs S&P Global Ratings’ global insurance analytical oversight council responsible for ensuring consistency of criteria application for insurance ratings. Additionally he chairs S&P Global Ratings’ global insurance hybrid capital council and co-chairs the global insurance regulatory and accounting focus team.

From 2011 – 2016 Dennis co-led the global reinsurance outreach and rating coordination and was responsible for rating both life and non-life insurers and reinsurers in the UK, Bermuda and Europe. Before joining the London office in 2009, he was based in the New York office with primary responsibility for several insurance and reinsurance credits in the U.S. and Bermuda.

Dennis obtained his Master of Science in Finance from the London Business School, with a focus on Corporate Finance, and is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management with a specialty in Finance. Minimize

Nigel was appointed Group Chief Executive in 2012 having joined as Group Chief Financial Officer in 2009. Full Bio

Nigel was appointed Group Chief Executive in 2012 having joined as Group Chief Financial Officer in 2009.

Nigel won the ‘Most Admired Leader’ award at Britain's Most Admired Companies Awards 2017, for Management Today. He was also City AM “Business Personality of the Year” in 2014. In 2015-2016 Nigel was a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

Nigel was Chairman of the Investment Association’s review of Executive Pay (2016-2017) and the government’s review of Mission Led Business (2016- 2017). He was also a member of the governments Patient Capital Review Industry Panel (2017–2018) and a Commissioner in the Resolution Foundation’s Intergenerational Commission (2017–2018). He is currently a member of the expert group’s advising on the government’s Social Care Green Paper and the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Implementation Board. He also Chair’s the Life Sciences finance group and the Bank of England’s Climate Financial Risk Forum, Innovation Working Group.

Qualifications include a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he was a Kennedy Scholar, and a recipient of the Alfred P Sloan research scholarship. Nigel also worked at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Previous appointments include, McKinsey & Co, Dixons Group Plc, UBM, Guinness Peat Aviation and Stanhope Properties Plc.

Nigel was Senior Independent Director (SID) of The Capita Group plc. from 2009 until 2012, and was SID / Chairman of Halfords Group Plc. from 2006 until 2011.

Nigel has won numerous national masters Athletics Championships. He has five daughters. He is leading the 50/50 by 20/20 gender diversity initiative. Minimize

Justin Wray is Acting Head of the Policy Department and Head of the Insurance Policy Unit at the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA). Full Bio

Justin Wray is Acting Head of the Policy Department and Head of the Insurance Policy Unit at the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA).

At EIOPA Justin has been responsible for the provision of advice on the IORP II directive, EIOPA's technical standards and guidelines required under the Solvency II Directive.

Before joining EIOPA in May 2011, Justin worked at the UK Pensions Regulator in a number of operational and policy roles including as Head of Pensions Administration and Governance.

Prior to this, Justin worked at the UK Treasury on financial services regulation and international debt issues, and at the UK Department for International Development.

Justin holds bachelors and masters degrees in economics (Universities of Southampton and Warwick), and an MBA from Cranfield University. Minimize