Third Point Re CFO joins Aspen

Christopher Coleman will take over as Aspen chief financial officer on Tuesday, October 19, the company has announced.

Coleman joins following the merger in February of Third Point Re, where he was CFO, with Sirius Group. Last September, it was announced that David Junius, Third Point Re chief operating officer, would become the new business’s CFO. At the time it was  said Coleman would remain with the new organisation in a “mutually agreed senior position”.

Instead, he succeeds current Aspen CFO Kevin Chidwick, who is due to retire at the end of the year.

As well as overseeing the recent merger and Third Point Re’s IPO in 2013, Coleman has had key roles in several other merger, debt and equity transactions during his career, according to Aspen. He was previously CFO of Alterra Bermuda Limited and chief accounting officer for Harbor Point Limited. He was also a senior audit manager with PwC.

Originally from the United States, Coleman has spent much of his career based in Bermuda.

Mark Cloutier, Aspen executive chairman and group chief executive officer, said: “As we continue to accelerate into the next phase of our transformation, Chris’ track record of helping to drive strong financial outcomes in high-performing insurance businesses will be a valuable addition to our group executive leadership team. Chris will partner with each member of the group executive committee, including Mark Pickering, our group chief capital management officer and treasurer, who will continue to successfully lead our capital management strategy and corporate finance initiatives.”

Cloutier also paid tribute to Chidwick.

“During his time at Aspen, Kevin has played an important role in helping return the business to profitability, despite a challenging market environment,” he said. “With the Group now in a position to look towards its longer-term strategic objectives, we respect Kevin’s own time horizon and decision to retire. In Chris, we have identified the ideal successor, and I am pleased that we have been able to deliver a smooth transition period.”