DUAL UK, part of the specialist underwriting arm of Howden Group, has named Catherine Dixon as Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) and Rob Corner as the Chief Distribution Officer.
Corner joins the business in May and Dixon will join in June with both reporting to Simon McGinn, Chief Executive Officer, DUAL UK.
The appointments come after Catherine Farnworth joined the firm as Chief Actuary, DUAL UK & Europe, in January of this year.
McGinn commented, “I am absolutely delighted to be welcoming the three of them to the already strong UK leadership team. DUAL has been on a significant growth journey in our home market, both organically and through bringing in new teams, and we have plans to do so much more in 2024 and beyond.”
McGinn added that Farnworth’s remit in the role will be to focus on further building out the company’s actuarial capabilities in the UK and Europe, with a focus on pricing and underwriting profitability. She is part of both the UK and Europe leadership teams.
“Catherine, Catherine and Rob bring fantastic relevant experience and complementary skills to the DUAL UK leadership team. We are now well positioned to drive our business forward in a way that not only supports our capacity providers, but that also continues to deliver great insurance solutions to our brokers and customers,” stated McGinn.
The firm stated that these appointments are designed to “further strengthen the UK leadership team as the business positions itself to drive significant expansion in the UK.”
McGinn commented on the role of Chief Distribution Officer, “It is absolutely critical to our growth plans and Rob will be responsible for coordinating with our distribution partners and helping us grow into the retail market space as well as London Market, specialty and existing businesses.
Further adding that, “Dixon’s key areas of focus will be to ensure our underwriting, governance and approach to market reflect our position as a leading insurance provider. She will also work closely with our Group and regional CUOs aligning the UK with our wider group strategy.”
Farnworth was previously Group Chief Risk Officer at IQUW and has held leadership roles at MS Amlin and MS Frontier Reinsurance after starting her career at PwC.
Dixon brings over 30 years of experience in the Commercial SME & mid-corporate insurance sector, most recently as CUO of Allianz’s Commercial business in the UK.
Meanwhile, Corner has over 10 years of industry experience including nine years at Allianz and, most recently, was a regional director for AXA.
