Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s (CISL) ClimateWise has appointed Tokio Marine Kiln’s Vivek Syal and RenaissanceRe’s Ian Branagan as co-chairs of its C-suite Insurance Advisory Council.
ClimateWise brings together the insurance industry through a member network convened by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership, integrating sustainable leadership with world-leading research to address the impacts of climate change
In their new roles, Syal and Branagan will be supported by the ClimateWise Managing Committee, led by newly appointed Chair Rachel Delhaise, Chief Sustainability Officer at Convex, and Deputy Chair Jonathan Kassian, Head of Research at Flood Re.
Syal serves as Chief Underwriting Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK), where he has spent the past eight years, having previously served as Group Chief Risk Officer.
Prior to joining TMK, he was Chief Risk Officer at ProSight Specialty Insurance and also held roles at the Bank of England, PwC, and Brit Insurance.
Branagan currently serves as RenaissanceRe’s Senior Vice President, Innovation. Previously, he was the company’s Chief Risk Officer and brings more than 30 years of experience across innovation, risk management, and catastrophe modelling.
ClimateWise noted that its new leadership will help drive the collaborative action and scalable innovation the industry needs as it responds to the growing systemic risks posed by climate change and nature degradation.
Branagan commented, “ClimateWise plays an important role in convening the insurance industry to respond to the increasing risks of climate change through innovative research, robust data collection and practical collaboration. I am proud to co-chair the Climate Wise Insurance Advisory Council and look forward to working alongside our membership in support of a more sustainable future.”
Syal said, “Climate change is reshaping risk across our industry and society. As Co-Chair of the ClimateWise Insurance Advisory Council, I’m committed to bringing our sector together to showcase our strengths, enhance resilience and better support those most exposed to climate impacts.”
Delhaise stated, “ClimateWise has played a pivotal role in shaping the insurance industry’s approach to climate related risks and opportunities since it was established in 2007. I look forward enormously to helping shape this next chapter.”
Kassian added, “ClimateWise brings the insurance industry together to keep improving how we manage and mitigate risk in a changing climate. It plays a valuable thought leadership and benchmarking role, and I’m pleased to take on the role of Deputy Chair of the Managing Committee.”
