HDI announces major changes in its UK & Ireland branch across underwriting and distribution

HDI Global SE has made several senior appointments in its UK & Ireland branch, including a new Director of Underwriting, as it continues to deliver on its ambitious growth plan.

Antonia Osborne has joined HDI as Director of Underwriting, effective 1 August 2023. In her role, Osborne will take overall responsibility for underwriting performance, future underwriting strategy and ensuring alignment between HDI’s proposition and the needs of its clients and brokers. She will report directly to Managing Director Stephanie Ogden.

Osborne joins HDI from Chubb Global Markets where she held the role of Head of Underwriting Operations and Governance. She was also one of the founding members of the Apollo Syndicate and has a wealth of experience in the Lloyd’s London Market.

Going forward, all underwriting lines of business will report to Osborne. Until Osborne’s appointment, Stephanie Ogden had maintained this responsibility after being promoted from her previous role as Director of Underwriting & Distribution.

Osborne will play a leading role in leveraging the scale of HDI’s UK operations through close alignment with her two counterparts at HDI Global Specialty, notably Adam Curran, Director of Underwriting and Jade Wilcox, Director of Delegated Authority Underwriting.

Effective today, HDI also welcomes a new Lead Cyber Underwriter, Philip Smith, to lead the growth and development of this key product line. Smith joins HDI from Chubb Australia where he was the Cyber & Technology Practice Leader for Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia. He will report directly to Osborne.

This will be Smith’s second stint as an HDI employee, having previously worked for the company in Australia for seven years across a variety of underwriting roles and classes before joining Chubb.

Earlier in the summer James Medlicott joined HDI from Aviva as a manager in the Liability team. Regan Shaw joined the Distribution team as a Strategic Relationship Manager from RSA.

Of the changes, Ogden commented: “I am delighted to announce these key market appointments and to have in place a team that is well placed to tackle the challenges and opportunities the industry, our clients and our brokers face in the coming months and years. Antonia brings with her a wealth of experience, and I am excited to see how we can continue to improve outcomes for brokers and clients with her in this important new role. With Philip joining to lead our Cyber practice in the UK, I am confident that our proposition, across both HDI Global and HDI Global Specialty, will continue to fulfil the needs of our clients, both existing and new. All of these appointments are a clear signal to the market, clients and brokers that HDI is committed to making investments in people that will help us deliver on our ambitions to be the leading insurer for industrial businesses.”

Authored by HDI Global