Leadership

Chris Schaper is the group CEO for AIG RE, the global reinsurance business of American International Group, which brings together the organizations of Validus Re, Alphacat, Talbot Treaty and Validus Research under one entity. In addition to his role as CEO of AIG Re, he is CEO of Validus Re, CEO of AlphaCat, and is also a member of the AIG General Insurance Executive Committee. Chris joined AIG in 2019 and has over 30 years of insurance and reinsurance industry experience. He is based in Bermuda.

Kevin Downs is the Chief Actuary of AIG Re. He is responsible for the management and oversight of the actuarial pricing, reserving, capital modeling and functions within Validus Re. He has been in this role since 2013. Prior to that he served as the Reserving Actuary for Validus Re, since joining the firm in 2009. Kevin has over 25 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industry in both in-house and consultancy capacities. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Notre Dame. He is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.

Pat Boisvert is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of AIG Re. Pat joined the company in 2012 and has 25 years of experience, including 20 years in the financial services industry. Prior to this role, Patrick was the Chief Financial Officer of Flagstone Reinsurance Holdings SA. He was previously Chief Financial Officer of West End Capital Management and Vice President Fund Administration at Bisys Hedge Funds Services. He started his career with Ernst & Young and is a member of the CPA Institute of Québec.

Simon Biggs is the Global Head of Data, Digital and Technology of AIG Re.  He oversees Information Technology, Research Technology and Data Sciences, with the responsibility of developing strategy and overseeing execution as well as integration for all businesses across AIG Re.  Previously Simon served as Director of Analytics at Validus Re/Flagstone Re. Prior to Flagstone Re, Simon acted as a Fixed Income Strategist for West End Capital Management. Simon has over 25 years of experience in analytical tool and model development relating to both Capital and Insurance Markets. Simon holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Warwick (UK).

Jesse DeCouto is the Chief Underwriting Office at for Validus Reinsurance, Ltd. based in Bermuda. Jesse joined Validus Reinsurance, Ltd. in 2007 as a Vice President and Specialty Line Underwriter and was then a Senior Vice President for the Marine and Energy and Specialty Lines Underwriting. Prior to joining Validus Re, Jesse worked at Partner Re for a total of 8 years as a US Property Cat Underwriter in Bermuda and as a Pricing Actuary for Partner Re in Greenwich, CT. Jesse earned his MBA at the College of Insurance, NY in Financial Risk Management and his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Miami, FL. Jesse is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Andrew Tudor-Thomas is Executive Vice President, Head of U.S. Property for Validus Re based in Bermuda. He is responsible for developing and executing the U.S. Property department business plan and strategy, incorporating platforms in Bermuda, London and New York. Andrew has worked at Validus Re since January 2013 where he joined as Vice President. Andrew previously worked as a U.S. Treaty underwriter for Beazley Syndicate at Lloyd’s and started his career at Guy Carpenter in London working in the U.S. Wholesale Treaty team. Andrew is an Associate of The Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII).

Craig joined Validus Re in 2021 as a Senior Vice President and Specialty Lines Underwriter.  Prior to joining Validus Re, Craig was a Specialty Treaty underwriter and Pricing Actuary at StarStone Bermuda.  Throughout a 20 year career, Craig has worked in a range of actuarial, strategy and underwriting roles for leading (re)insurance carriers, broker and consultants including QBE, Aon and PwC.  

Craig is a fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and a graduate of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Florian Lutz started his career in 1990 at AXA Insurance Company in Berlin as an underwriter within the Industrial Fire, Construction & Engineering department. In 2000 Florian moved to Aon Jauch & Huebener in Germany as a reinsurance broker with various responsibilities for the European treaty reinsurance clients. This was followed by a move in 2008 to Zurich joining Axis Re Europe as a Cat Underwriter for EMEA and he was promoted in 2013 to Senior Underwriter for Motor & PA reinsurance for Europe, MENA and Asia. Florian joined Validus in 2014 with the opening of Validus Re Switzerland in Zurich as a SVP for International Property. Florian was promoted in 2021 as the Underwriting Director of Validus Re Switzerland responsible for the production and management of the portfolio for Validus Re Switzerland. He also is responsible for the global Construction & Engineering portfolio.

Heather Legg is the Chief Agent for the Canadian Branch of Validus Re Bermuda. She has over 25 years of experience in the Canadian reinsurance industry including roles at Aon and Guy Carpenter. Upon joining Validus Re in 2019, Heather worked with various stakeholders to establish the new Canadian operation and ultimately received the Order to Insure in December 2019. Heather earned a Master in Business Administration from McGill University and is a Fellow, Certified Insurance Professional. Heather is also the President of the Reinsurance Research Council of Canada, and Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Against the Grain Theatre.

James Franson is Head of Casualty for Validus Re and President of Validus Americas. He is responsible for expanding Validus Re’s domestic U.S. reinsurance strategy, including the development of a casualty reinsurance business operation. James brings 29 years of industry experience to Validus Re, most recently serving as Chief Underwriting Officer (“CUO”) of Arch Reinsurance Company (“Arch Re”), where he was responsible for all property and casualty underwriting in the U.S. and Canada. James joined Arch Re in 2001 as a founding member of the management team, and was instrumental in helping transition the company from a start-up to an established and leading reinsurer in the U.S. Market. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Manhattan College and is a member of PLUS.

James Botelho is Senior Vice President, Credit Lines Underwriter at Validus Re. He is responsible for Validus’ Political Risk, Trade Credit, Surety, and Mortgage portfolios written out of the Bermuda office. Prior to his current role, James held several positions within the Actuarial team, most recently as SVP Head of Actuarial Research and SVP Head of Pricing. James joined Validus in 2008 as AVP Pricing Actuary, supporting Specialty Lines Underwriting. Prior to joining Validus Re, James was Actuarial Analyst at XL Re (now AXA XL Re) for 4 years.

James holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science and Statistics from Western University in Ontario, Canada, and is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society.

Marc Haushofer is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer, Asia Pacific. He joined Validus Re in 2008 to head the Singapore Branch Office which underwrites general reinsurance business in Asia. He also leads the Singapore Reinsurers' Association (SRA) as its Chairman since January 2017. Marc has over 35 years of experience in the (re)insurance industry. Prior to Validus Re, he was the Chief Executive Officer & Principal Officer of Munich Reinsurance Company, Singapore Branch, heading Munich Re's South-East-Asian Hub. Before that he was a Deputy Member of the Executive Management at Munich Reinsurance Company, Munich. Marc is a certified Versicherungskaufmann which is the German equivalent to Associate of The Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII).  He also holds a Certificate in both Strategic Management and Financials for Executives from the St. Gallen Management School. In addition, he successfully accomplished an Executive Management stint with the London Business School.

Pablo Nunez is the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Validus Reaseguros. With more than 20 years of (re)insurance experience, Pablo leads the Miami Office which underwrites reinsurance business in Latin American and South Caribbean. He joined Validus Re in 2012 as Global Head of Reserving and has been a senior member of the Validus Reaseguros underwriting team since 2019. He also serves as Head for Strategic Solutions. Prior to Validus Re, Pablo led the actuarial advisory practice of Ernst & Young in Bermuda, Cayman and Bahamas and was an underwriter manager at Gen Re. Pablo is a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) and Affiliate Member of the Casualty of Actuaries (CAS). He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Ivey Business School at University of Western Ontario, Canada.

Paul Daniel is the Head of Treaty at Lloyd’s syndicate Talbot-1183. The treaty team in London mirrors a consistent and complementary business policy with Validus Re. Both follow a common strategy as set out by AIG Re, the reinsurance franchise of AIG. Paul has worked in the Lloyd’s market for 35 years. 27 of these years have been spent at the Talbot syndicate, joining in December 1994. He has written the Property treaty account since 2002 and has headed the team since 2017. This includes overseeing the Aviation and Specialty lines, in addition to leading the Property Treaty account. Prior to this he held positions in the syndicate writing the Direct and Facultative property account and Reinsurance purchasing. Prior to Talbot, Paul was a property claims adjuster for the Toa insurance company based in London.

Paul Roberts is Executive Vice President and Head of Marine & Energy for Validus Re. Paul started his career at Willis Faber and Dumas in 1985 and worked in both the Marine Excess of Loss Treaty Department in London and New York as a Divisional Director with responsibilities for the London Market and International clients. In 1996 Paul moved to Allianz Cornhill where he assumed responsibility for the Marine Excess of Loss Account, a worldwide portfolio. In 2002 Paul moved to Bermuda with Rosemont Reinsurance as a SVP with responsibility for the Marine Reinsurance portfolio. This was followed by a move in December 2005 to be one of the founding members of Validus Re, SVP Underwriting for the Marine Treaty Portfolio. Since then Paul has held various roles within the broader group including Talbot Treaty and SVP in Zurich with Validus Re (Switzerland) with responsibility for the Marine, Energy and Specialty Portfolio written by the Swiss company. 

Dr. Peter Griffin is the Head of Agriculture for Validus Re. He is responsible for developing & underwriting agricultural reinsurance globally, including treaty and parametric risk programs in North America, Latin America, Asia and Europe. Pete joined Validus Re in 2020 with over 20 years of insurance and reinsurance industry experience.  He joins Validus Re from AXIS Capital, where he was the Head of Agriculture since 2012.  Previously, Pete worked as a Senior Analyst for RenRe North America and as Senior Vice President for JB Collins Associates, a reinsurance intermediary.  As the principal of Applied Analytics Group, Pete consulted for the World Bank, insurance and reinsurance companies, and developed insurance products offered by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. Pete received his PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kentucky. He is based in Miami.

Sven Wehmeyer is Executive Vice President & Head of International for Validus and CEO of Validus Re Switzerland. He is responsible for all International Property Business and also oversees the Validus Re International Offices. As CEO of Validus Re Switzerland, Sven is leading the Group’s risk carrier in Zurich. He joined the firm in October 2006 and has held progressively senior positions. From December 1996 to September 2006, Sven held reinsurance broking positions at Aon Jauch & Hubener in Germany. He holds a Diplom-Volkswirt and Diplom-Kaufmann from Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany.

Chris Schaper is the group CEO for AIG RE, the global reinsurance business of American International Group, which brings together the organizations of Validus Re, Alphacat, Talbot Treaty and Validus Research under one entity. In addition to his role as CEO of AIG Re, he is CEO of Validus Re, CEO of AlphaCat, and is also a member of the AIG General Insurance Executive Committee. Chris joined AIG in 2019 and has over 30 years of insurance and reinsurance industry experience. He is based in Bermuda.

Adam Szakmary is responsible for AlphaCat’s portfolio management and overall business origination strategy. With over 18 years of industry experience, Adam joined AlphaCat in September 2021 from Hiscox Re & ILS where he served as the Director of Underwriting Bermuda from 2017. Prior to Hiscox, Adam held executive, portfolio management, and underwriting positions at firms including Blue Capital Management Ltd and Montpelier Re Holdings Ltd. He holds a MA in International Economic Policy from the American University School of International Service and a BA in Maritime Policy Studies & Political Science from the University of Rhode Island. Adam is located in Bermuda.

Brant Loucks is the Chief Operating Officer of AlphaCat Managers Ltd, AlphaCat Reinsurance Ltd, and OmegaCat Reinsurance Ltd.  He oversees the non-investment operations of the Manager, as well as the daily operating workflows of the reinsurance risk-transfer vehicles.

Mr. Loucks serves as a Director of AlphaCat Managers Ltd, AlphaCat Master Fund Ltd and AlphaCat Reinsurance Ltd, as well as a member of the Valuation and Capital Return Committees.

Prior to joining the AlphaCat team in July 2018, Mr. Loucks spent more than 16 years in alternative investment fund operations leading teams at both Whippoorwill Associates, Inc. and DW Partners, LP.

Brant holds a M.B.A. in Finance from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business as well as a B.S. in Finance from Oswego State University.

Chiara joined AlphaCat Managers in November 2018. She is a NY – barred, U.S. attorney with experience in finance, regulation, and corporate law, particularly in the areas of corporate governance, investment management law, operations and project/change management. Prior to AlphaCat, Chiara worked in the Bermuda office of a large U.S.-based asset manager and has worked at various U.S. financial services regulators. She holds a J.D. from Seton Hall School of Law as well as a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Environmental Science from New York University. 

Christian joined the AlphaCat team in November 2016 and currently heads the business development team for our affiliate AlphaCat Capital. Prior to joining AlphaCat Capital, Christian spent 8 years at Risk Management Solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a certificate in Political Economy from Princeton University.

David Brown, Chief Compliance Officer: David is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales with over 20 years of industry experience. He began his career as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers in England in 1999, before moving to PwC Bermuda in 2003. He left audit in 2005 and spent 11 years in the fund administration industry in Bermuda prior to joining AlphaCat in 2016. David holds a BA (Hons) from the University of Leeds.

Ed joined AlphaCat in July 2021 as an AlphaCat Underwriter. Prior to this, he worked for 5+ years at Elementum in Bermuda as an Investment Analyst. He previously worked as a senior analyst for Renaissance Re and before that as Assistant Vice President at Guy Carpenter. Ed holds a B.S. from Trinity College in Economics and is also a CFA charterholder. Ed will be spearheading AlphaCat’s retro underwriting and assisting Adam.

Kevin Ronaldson is Chief Financial Officer of AlphaCat Managers Ltd, OmegaCat Reinsurance Ltd and AlphaCat Reinsurance Ltd. Kevin is also a Director of AlphaCat Managers Ltd, AlphaCat Master Fund Ltd and AlphaCat Reinsurance Ltd.

Kevin joined AlphaCat in May 2013 and is primarily responsible for the Manager’s financial reporting streams, including investor NAV fund reporting, corporate reporting to AIG and the reinsurance regulatory reporting of the Class 3 and 3A market facing reinsurance entities. Kevin also has overall responsibility for valuation and capital repayments to investors as Chairperson of the Valuation Committee and Chairperson of the Capital Return Committee. Kevin is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has 20 years of professional accounting experience. Previously, Kevin worked as an auditor in Oxford, England and then on moving to Bermuda spent five years as an account manager for a hedge fund administrator, specializing in ILS funds.

Kevin holds a BSc (Hons) in Mathematics and Economics from the University of the West of England.

Sun joined the AlphaCat team from our Validus Research office in Waterloo Canada in July 2013 where he was a Senior Catastrophe Risk Analyst. He has been with Validus since 2006 and holds Masters degrees in Accounting/Quantitative Finance from University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and Statistics from University of Western Ontario.