SiriusPoint taps AIG for top underwriter

Specialty re/insurer SiriusPoint has appointed former AIG executive Anthony Shapella as deputy chief underwriting officer, tasked with delivering a unified company approach to underwriting.

Shapella will report to group president and chief underwriting officer David Govrin and will be based in New York. He takes up the newly created role on September 5.

Shapella held several senior roles at AIG over almost ten years, including global head of portfolio analytics, chief risk officer for financial and liability lines and risk aggregation analytics director. Prior to that, Shapella worked for Towers Watson in insurance consulting and reinsurance brokerage roles.

He has a total of about 20 years’ experience in re/insurance.

Bermuda-based SiriusPoint said Shapella’s focus will be on profitability and performance management, optimizing underwriting capital allocation, disciplined portfolio management and delivering a One SiriusPoint approach to global underwriting.

Govrin said: “I am very pleased to welcome Anthony to SiriusPoint. He is a leader in his field with almost 20 years of experience and a strong and diverse background across all aspects of underwriting. He brings significant depth to the global underwriting function.

“SiriusPoint is an underwriting first company and we have undertaken considerable action over the last two years to refine our underwriting model and culture, align our risk appetite with our global strategy, and effect dramatic improvement in our portfolio. I am delighted that we are creating a culture and building a track record of performance that is drawing the industry’s top talent to us.”

Shapella said: “There is real momentum building at SiriusPoint for the Company to become ‘best in class’ in the markets in which it operates.

“Continued disciplined underwriting is part of the journey to profitability and success and I am looking forward to joining the Company to contribute and collaborate with the team and our stakeholders.”

Shapella has an MBA from Fox School of Business at Temple University and a BS in Business Administration/Finance from Mount St Mary’s University.