The International Underwriting Association (IUA) has welcomed Claire McDonald, a Member of the Executive Board for HDI Global SE, as the new Chair. She will formally take over the position on January 1, 2024.
McDonald – who is replacing Phil Hobbs, President and Managing Director of Liberty Specialty Markets – has been a member of the IUA Board since 2021 and is currently a Deputy Chair of the association.
The previous Chair, Hobbs, had replaced Rob Kuchinski, Head of Commercial Insurance at Zurich UK, when he was elected in 2022.
At the same time, three new Deputy Chairs were elected, and are meant to take over their new positions with immediate effect.
The new Deputy Chairs are Theo Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Convex Insurance UK Ltd, Matthew Gordon, Underwriting Director, Specialty & Property Investors at Aviva Insurance Ltd and Simon Wilson, President at Markel International.
Dave Matcham, Chief Executive of the IUA, commented: “The IUA Board plays a vital role within the London Market, both in setting the overall strategy of the association itself and influencing the wider industry as an authoritative representative of the company market.
“Claire McDonald is an excellent candidate to lead the IUA. She has considerable experience both as an underwriter and senior leader, with further expertise in operations, process management, and change management. I look forward to working with her as we prepare the IUA’s business plan for 2024.”
