The Reinsurance Association of America (RAA) has named Brian Young of Odyssey Group as chair following its annual general meeting at the end of last month.
Young, president and CEO of Odyssey, was elected alongside Justin O’Keefe as vice chair and Jim Williamson as secretary-treasurer.
O’Keefe is SVP and chief underwriting officer for global property at RenaissanceRe, while Williamson is head of reinsurance for Everest Re Group.
While not formally announced, it would appear that Williamson will be replacing O’Keefe, given that the latter was only elected into the position of secretary-treasurer in September last year.
According to the RAA, Young has 33 years of industry experience, with the past 25 spent at Odyssey. During this time, he held several senior underwriting and management roles including the oversight of Odyssey’s Canadian, Latin American, London, and Lloyd’s operations. In 2009, he became COO where he was responsible for all reinsurance and insurance operations worldwide. Young was appointed president and CEO in April 2011.
Prior to joining Odyssey Group, he spent eight years at Transatlantic Reinsurance in both New York and London, working in the actuarial and treaty underwriting departments.
O’Keefe, meanwhile, serves on the board of directors of Top Layer Reinsurance LTD., DaVinci Reinsurance, and Vermeer Reinsurance. He is a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the RAA and is involved with multiple other insurance and reinsurance trade organisations.
Prior to joining Everest, Williamson served as the Division President of Small Business at Chubb, where he was responsible for the growth and profitability of Chubb’s small and lower mid-market portfolio.
During his tenure at Chubb, he also held various senior executive roles within the Company’s North America and International Operations, including COO—International Accident and Health, SVP— Technology and Operations, Global Personal Lines, and president of Private Risk Services. Prior to Chubb, he held various senior roles at The Hartford.
