Member's Details

Click on a member's name for more information (if available).

Mike Benton

Mike Benton has worked in the life and health insurance industry for over 25 years. He has been chief executive officer at Medicals Direct Group since 1997, prior to which he was sales & marketing director of IGI Insurance Company and previously managing director of the Permanent Health Company Limited. From 1989 to 1992 he was sales & marketing director of Prosperity Life Insurance Company.

In addition to his extensive knowledge of the life and health insurance markets, Mike also has a wealth of experience in the non-life general insurance sector. He has, probably uniquely, held senior posts in all aspects of the business, covering sales, marketing, administration and underwriting functions. Mike is a regular speaker at industry seminars and is an authority on medical outsourcing for both the insurance and legal industries.

Michael Brown

Prior to his appointment as the Managing Director of Gallagher Employee Benefits in November 2009, Michael Brown began his career with what is now Mercer. He left the company in 1982 and he co-founded his own business which was eventually sold to what is now Jardine Lloyd Thompson. During this venture Michael was responsible for building a corporate based advisory business in employee benefits and subsequently developed a TPA/ full services business offering to trustees.

At JLT Michael was responsible for a wide range of activities from Mergers and Acquisitions, business growth and development, business risk management and full P&L responsibility for a variety of trading entities. Between 1994 and leaving in 2009 Michael was part of the JLT senior management team that oversaw growth in revenues from £8m to almost £85m.

Since Joining Gallagher Employee Benefits, Michael has transformed the business from one with conventional service offerings and little growth prospects to one which is now able to deliver to clients leading edge solutions which will deliver exponential growth. The business comprises corporate, trustee and private client services, thereby serving all aspects of the employee/employer relationship.

His own professional specialism's include international benefits solutions, a deep understanding of the contrast in US and UK benefits practices, M&A work for corporate clients and health and well being initiatives.

Phil Brown

Phil is currently Head of Protection and Underwriting at Zurich Assurance and is responsible for leading Zurich's life business protection development process, it's underwriting approach and governance. He has over 30 years experience with various responsibilities for underwriting, claims and propositions development within the direct office and reinsurance industry.

He is Chair of the ABI Medical Underwriting Committee, a member of the ABI Health Committee, a past member of the former Department of Health Genetics and Insurance Committee and a former Trustee Director for Sense International. He has also previously worked on secondment in India to develop business plans for a NGO responsible for rehabilitating disabled people back into the community.

Away from work Phil enjoys photography, riding his motorbike, and trekking worldwide.

Zoe Campbell

Prior to entering the Executive Search industry Zoe was a journalist for a legal publication writing technical legal articles. She also had sole responsibility for carrying out research for the monthly international supplement across the onshore and offshore financial markets. Before joining Eames Consulting Zoe worked for two city based executive search boutiques and an international firm operating specifically within the financial services sector.

Background
Born in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire and educated at Bromsgrove School, Worcestershire, Zoe completed her degree in English Literature while working for a legal office supporting partners and consultants. Zoe studied for a Masters degree in Newspaper Journalism at Nottingham Trent where she completed a dissertation in Intellectual Property and Copyright Law relating to internet music downloads and completed her NCTJ – National Council for the Training of Journalists award.

Specialties
High level executive search with a focus on technical specialists and generalist roles within the insurance market, with particular focus on Life & Health.

Honours
Admitted to the Freedom of the Worshipful Company of the Founders. Freeman of the City of London.

Steve Casey

Steve is responsible for product design & marketing for BUPA Health Assurance, the long term life Co distributing products to the IFA market.

With over 20 years experience in Financial Services, he has undertaken a number of senior roles at Swiss Re Life & Health and Liberata including account development, marketing and superior customer service.

Graeme Charters

Phillip Cooke

Phillip Cooke is managing director of D’Arcy Inspired Ltd. His background is rooted in marketing and communications, with a track record which includes publishing, big conference production and corporate/product PR. This work led to a natural progression into personal and team development, with a strong emphasis on the cultural aspects of change in both organisations and their staff. He has worked extensively in the house building sector, as well as having done projects for a diversified range of clients, including Orange, Birds Eye Foods, Whitbread/Heineken/Stella Artois, London Transport, Dow Chemicals Europe, Dom Development (Warsaw) and Nissan.

He is an accredited practitioner in Inspired Leadership, HBDI thinking preferences profile and the TMSDI work preferences model. He a qualified Executive Coach, and holds the Diploma of the Institute of Leadership and Management. He has worked widely with senior personnel in both team and personal development, using both one-to-one and group coaching and facilitation.

Declan Cotter

Declan Cotter is a Senior Business Development Executive with FINEOS which provides claims management solutions to the global insurance market. Declan has been with FINEOS for 14 years in various roles ranging from business consultant, to programme management, and sales.

Prior to FINEOS, Declan worked in the insurance industry for 12 years in senior customer management roles and comes with BA in Management and ACII qualifications.

FINEOS maintains a strong relationship with the Net Work to ensure that the organisation keeps abreast of innovation and changes within the ever evolving UK insurance market.

Andrew Couchman

A well-known writer and author, he appears regularly in the trade press, speaks at conferences and produces written materials for and advises a wide range of organisations. Co-author of the Protection Review (with Peter Le Beau), Andy edits the monthly HealthCare Insurance Report newsletter and writes the product reviews for Health Insurance magazine.

Prior to setting up his own business he held senior product marketing roles in the industry and holds the FCII and Cert PFS qualifications.

Outside of business and family, Andy's interests include fast cars and guitars.

Ian Etheridge

Ian is Head of Client Management UK & Ireland at Swiss Re.

Ian Etheridge has over 20 years experience within the reinsurance industry having started with M&G Re, who were then subsequently acquired by Swiss Re in 1996. Ian has undertaken a number of senior positions at Swiss Re Life & Health including; marketing, client management, business development, underwriting and customer service roles.

Veronica France

Andrew Gething

Andrew is the Managing Director of MorganAsh having founded the company in 2004. Through rapid growth MorganAsh is now the leading Tele-underwriting provider in the UK and Ireland. Andrew is highly successful entrepreneur who has taken an IT start-up through growth and profitability to successful acquisition, increasing shareholder value by 35,000%, and floated a private computer games company on the London Stock Exchange. Andrew is a UMIST graduate, a Chartered Structural Engineer and holds an MBA from Sheffield Business School.

David Heeney

David Heeney is Pacific Life Re's Chief Marketing Officer for UK & Ireland.

Pacific Life Re is a specialist life reinsurer offering a comprehensive range of reinsurance solutions and support to insurance clients in the UK, Ireland and Asia.

David runs the Sales and Marketing function for the UK and Ireland markets with overall responsibility for client management, business development and marketing strategy. He has over 20 years of insurance and reinsurance market experience spanning technical, relationship management and general management responsibilities. He began his career with Legal & General where he spent 11 years. He qualified as an actuary in 1988 and progressed to Head of Product Management and Actuary (Pensions). He joined Swiss Re in 1995, initially running the UK Corporate Actuarial function and helping to develop their financial reinsurance business. Following Swiss Re’s acquisition of Mercantile & General Reinsurance he moved to a global product management role. Latterly he spent two years as a Global Client Manager responsible for coordinating client relationships at top management level with Swiss Re’s largest clients worldwide.

Ben Heffer

Ben is a member of Defaqto’s Insight Team with responsibility for writing and consultancy on life and protection products. Working for Defaqto since it’s inception in 1994, he has 18 years’ of experience in financial services having previously worked for Countrywide Independent Advisers and Bradford & Bingley Building Society. During his time at Defaqto, Ben has held research and data management positions in pensions, investments and life assurance. More recently, he has been responsible for conducting independent IFA satisfaction studies and providing commentary on life office service.

Paul Hudson

The Chief Executive of Cirencester friendly is Paul Hudson (51) who came to Gloucestershire in 1997 after seven years in a similar position at the Nottingham Friendly Society, having entered the financial services sector in 1974.

Paul believes that friendly societies play a valuable role in society delivering financial services to parts of the population often overlooked by banks and proprietorial counterparts. He is determined to make Cirencester friendly the best in its field of income protection.

This means successfully competing against some of the country’s largest banks and insurers with its well-researched and popular income protection product, Income Assured Plus.

A former President and Vice President of the Association of Friendly Societies, and former Chairman of the Holloway Friendly Society Income Protection Group, he now serves as a Board Member on the recently formed Association of Financial Mutuals.

Paul has an MBA from Nottingham Business School, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators and is an associate member of the Compliance Institute.

Away from work, this father of three is an avid reader of fiction and sporting biographies, enjoys playing the guitar and alternately riding his two motorbikes, a Ducati and BMW.

Phil Hull

Phil has worked in the life and pensions industry for over 30 years and has over 20 years marketing experience. He is an associate of both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Chartered Insurance Institute.

He has experience across the industry having worked for a product provider (AXA), an IFA and discretionary management company (Rowan & Co) and a network/service provider (Sesame). He now runs his own consultancy and his overwhelming desire is to see the life and pensions industry become much more customer focused.

Christine Husbands

Christine is Managing Director of RED ARC Assured Ltd. RED ARC is a unique organisation providing tailored help, advice and emotional support to people with a serious illness or disability. The company has developed a range of added value services that stand-alone or are included within selected insurance products, typically in the life, health and protection sectors.

Christine spent the initial part of her career in Financial roles within manufacturing, but has spent the last 10 years in Financial Services where she has held several board positions. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds the IOD Diploma in Company Direction.

In addition, Christine sits on the boards of parent The Private Health Partnership Ltd, leading medical insurance intermediary and sister company Medical Care Direct, private medical sourcing service.

As MD, her focus is on working with insurers and affinity organisations to find ways of delivering the unique RED ARC services to more of the people who need them.

René Lemaire

Transamerica Reinsurance Europe helps clients address a number of emerging needs resulting from increased competition, shifting demographics and the move to Solvency II. European clients benefit from a highly experienced staff that operates close to clients to provide local expertise and relationship management. Our business model is well suited to Europe’s changing life insurance environment. In addition to traditional life reinsurance solutions, we provide value-added solutions which distinguish us in other life reinsurance markets and are highly applicable to conditions in the European market.

As Senior Director, Northern Europe, René directs the development of new business opportunities and client relationships and works with industry associations and regulators on reinsurance related issues.

Before joining Transamerica Reinsurance Europe in 2006, René established a long career at France’s largest reinsurer. With nearly 30 years of experience in reinsurance marketing and underwriting, he brings a deep understanding of ceding company needs to help the company effectively market traditional reinsurance plus a range of high-value risk management, financing, product development and distribution solutions.

René holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Amiens.

Karin Lloyd

After 24 years in Underwriting and Claims in the direct market and as a reinsurer, Karin branched out on her own in 2006. Karin has since worked for companies based in the US, UK and Australia on a variety of projects including the development of an auditing framework, operational reviews, assisting a new life company and developing training materials.

http://www.karinlloyd.com

Alan Newman

Alan Newman is a director of Quadrant 4 Limited, a management consultancy that specialises in innovation. Most of the company’s clients come from the financial services sector. Alan has written for FT Finance and The Journal of Brand Management and has contributed to one of Swiss Re’s annual Insurance Reports. It was a Swiss Re conference where he observed that, “Insurance was a left-brained industry headed for a right-brained century” - a phrase that has been widely quoted since. He has a degree in Psychology from UCL and attended the International Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD. He has worked in Africa and the Middle East as well as the UK.

Stuart Paton Evans

Stuart spent the first five years of his career working in a direct life office
before moving into the life reassurance market. He joined Hannover Life
Re (UK) after 13 years in business development and marketing roles with two leading UK life and health reassurance companies.

His role at Hannover Life Re UK entails taking overall responsibility for the strategic development of its outward-facing operations. This includes all elements of client relationship management, marketing, product development and underwriting and claims.

Stuart’s primary focus is on ensuring Hannover Life Re remains a forward-thinking and professional reassurer, working closely with our customers to develop effective reassurance solutions and forge long-term, sustainable business partnerships.

RGA

RGA entered the reinsurance business in America more than 35 years ago, and now operate in 45 countries, on 6 different continents. In 2008, RGA globally wrote $5.3b of premium, maintaining the total in-force business to over $2.1 trillion. In the UK and Ireland, premium income was over $500 million and the number of reinsured lives is around 3 million.

Once again, we have been named "Life Reinsurance Company of the Year" at The Review Worldwide Reinsurance Awards ceremony. In NMG's 2009 study of almost 100 buyers and users of reinsurance in the UK & Ireland, RGA was ranked first according to NMG's key measure, the Business Capability Index. RGA’s index score included top quartile scores for each major category, namely: Proposition and positioning, Business Development, Quality of Actuaries, Operational Management, Underwriting, Claims Management and Treaty & Terms of Business.

Dennis Smith

Dennis Smith was appointed Director of Life & Protection and Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer Life Assurance in January 2009. Before then he was responsible for Insurance Propositions across the whole of HSBC UK Retail Banking. Dennis sits on the Boards of HSBC Life Insurance, Marks & Spencer Life Assurance and NHFA.

As Director of Life & Protection he is responsible for all Life & Health business as well as HSBC's creditor protection business.

He joined HSBC in April 2004 having previously worked for Legal & General and Old Mutual in a variety roles as Marketing Director, Sales Director and Chief Executive of Old Mutual International.

Dennis is married with two grown up sons, keen on all sports but with a particular interest in cricket.

Clive Waller

Clive held positions in sales and marketing over 25 years with Scottish Amicable and Zurich Insurance. He was Investment Sales Manager and Sales Director at Zurich Life and Group Director at ZIFA. He became Managing Partner of the Training Design Studio in 1999, writing and delivering training programmes on taxation, pensions and investment. At the same time, he set up the specialised research-based consultancy, CWC Research, with his wife, Monica, to provide data and advice to insurers, fund managers and specialist consultancies.

Clive is well known for his work in the platform sector, especially the publishing of detailed research studies. He part wrote and published the first book on platforms, “The adviser guide to platforms and the provision of advice.” He conceived of and promoted the first major platform industry event, “The Adnitor UK platform awards in association with CWC Research.”

Clive has an MBA from Wolsey Hall Oxford, with distinction, and is an associate of the Personal Finance Society.

He is a regular feature writer and speaker at industry events.

www.cwcresearch.co.uk