Gallagher Re has appointed Steve Bowen to the role of chief science officer within its Global Analytics & Advisory venture as it launches its new Gallagher Research Centre (GRC).
Bowen will be based in Chicago, where he will work closely with the GRC, alongside the firm’s Global Catastrophe Analytics and the Climate and ESG teams.
He joins the business at the beginning of October following 15 years at Aon, where he most recently served as managing director and the head of catastrophe insight.
Brian Ingle, president of Global Analytics & Advisory at Gallagher Re, said: “We are absolutely delighted Steve has chosen to join Gallagher Re. His appointment is further evidence of our determination to bring the best talent and subject matter expertise to our clients, wherever they are in the world.”
He added: “Steve’s addition to our team of practical, solutions-oriented, data-led specialists ensures Gallagher Re’s clients and the public at large get objective, fact-based assessments of the evolving risks arising from climate change. With the world’s risk horizon looking increasingly turbulent, Gallagher Re is fully provisioned to help our clients successfully navigate the future. We are excited to welcome Steve aboard.”
Bowen will be working with the GRC, which was announced by the firm yesterday. According to Gallagher Re, it will be a collaboration hub for academic, research and other institutions. It will provide access to independent, peer-reviewed academic work to support applied innovations across all Gallagher Re’s advisory and transactional products related to both natural and manmade perils.
The aim is for it to develop and deliver cutting-edge research and innovation in an increasing complex risk landscape to help its clients develop their own view of risk for all types of hazard.
Bowen said: “We live in a solutions-driven world. The growing and broad-reaching impacts of climate change and natural hazards are becoming more evident by the day, and there is a critical need to innovate and clearly communicate how risk is evolving. I am thrilled to be joining the Gallagher Re family where there is a strong commitment to collectively work together to help clients better understand their view of risk.”
He added: “We will strive to help move the climate change conversation forward by collaborating with various private and public sector entities to develop and deliver applicable thought leadership. It is an exciting time to be a scientist in the insurance industry.”
As part of the GRC’s launch, Gallagher Re said it had hired Dr Iain Willis as research director to work alongside Dr Tina Thomson, who leads and manages the GRC. The GRC is housed within the Global Analytics & Advisory centre of excellence.
Willis joins Gallagher Re from JBA Risk Management, where he spent the past seven years as managing director of its Singapore subsidiary, responsible for business development in Asia Pacific including data licensing and consultancy opportunities for JBA (CAT) probabilistic models, hazard maps, event sets, training, and disaster scenarios.
Thomson said in a statement: “The vision of the GRC is to deliver invaluable insight through creating an ecosystem of academic partners and innovation that will provide a unique offering to our clients. It will drive research across the full spectrum of (re)insurance – not just natural catastrophe risk.
She added: “While natural catastrophe and climate change research continue to be a priority, the evolving complexity of risk over the past two years has clearly demonstrated why it is essential the GRC has a wider remit to more accurately capture and quantify the risks posed by unmodelled, emerging and man-made perils. All of which are becoming more self-evident.”
