Global broker Aon in June 2018 announced that Andy Marcell has been appointed as CEO of its new Reinsurance Solutions division. Aon recently announced a rebranding of its reinsurance broking unit Aon Benfield to just Aon and has split its operations into new Solutions divisions, one of which is the Reinsurance Solutions arm. Along with the change, Eric Andersen who was CEO of Aon Benfield was made co-President of Aon,

International Benefits Network – IBN in June 2018 added Dutch broker Van Lanschot Chabot / Mandema and Partners to its network as member for Netherlands. Van Lanschot Chabot / Mandema and Partners is the largest Dutch broker in risk and benefits management. They have access to national and international insurance markets with 250 employees (including lawyers, economists, engineers, risk analysts, actuarial advisors and trainers). Mandema and Partners work with clients

Gallagher in June 2018 named Todd Woodward as its head of global communications, where he will be responsible for developing, implementing, executing, and enhancing the global communications strategy for the entire Gallagher organization, both internally and externally. Woodward was most recently vice-president, corporate and brand marketing communications at Amway Global. He was also an associate vice-president, marketing communications for the University of Notre Dame from 2006 to 2011. Prior

Health insurance start-up Oscar Health in June 2018 announced it would sell Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) health insurance policies in six new markets as of 2019, adding three U.S. states – Florida, Arizona, and Michigan as well as three large metropolitan areas in Ohio, Tennessee, and Texas. Oscar offers individual products as well as a small group health plan targeted at small businesses of up to 100 employees, “Oscar

AIA in June 2018 announced the appointment of Daisuke Iwase as Group Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and a member of the AIA Group Executive Committee. Mr. Iwase currently serves as President of Lifenet, a listed digital direct life insurance company in Japan, which he co-founded in 2006 and took public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2012. Lifenet provided over US$18.8 billion of insured capital and has more than

American International Group (AIG) and Munich Re in June 2018 announced that AIG Life Ltd. (AIGLL), a UK subsidiary of AIG Life & Retirement, has agreed to acquire Ellipse, a specialist provider of group life risk protection in the UK, from Munich Re. Ellipse’s group protection products, which include life, critical illness and income protection, along with its technology-enabled business model with high levels of straight through processing (STP),

AIG Life & Retirement, a division of AIG, in June 2018 announced the appointment of Adam Winslow as CEO, International. Winslow is now CEO of AIG Life Limited (U.K.), where he has led the business since its acquisition by AIG in 2015. In his new role, Winslow will lead AIG Life and Laya Healthcare in Ireland. He will also support potential further international expansion opportunities. Adam will continue to

Global broker Gallagher in June 2018 announced that Simon Matson will assume the role of CEO, UK brokerage and underwriting, leading a 4,500 strong team. Matson’s predecessor Grahame “Chily” Chilton will be stepping down later this year. Simon Matson is now head of Gallagher’s London Market and the founder of Alesco. He began his career in 1989 in the oil and gas division of a global insurance broker, eventually

MAXIS Global Benefits Network in June 2018 launched ‘MAXIS Global Wellness’, a centralized wellness proposition based on comprehensive health analytics to help multinational organizations mitigate the soaring costs of healthcare. The solution is delivered via corporate employee benefits plans. It allows multinationals to target country-specific cost drivers identified via analytics to deliver focused wellness solutions to employees. The new product is underpinned by over four years’ global health data

Ardian and Edmond de Rothschild in June 2018 announced they would transfer control of French brokerage Siaci Saint Honoré (SSH) to its management with the support of investment fund Charterhouse. Investment fund Ardian now owns 51% and Edmond de Rothschild 19% of the company. The value of the deal, which is expected to close in September 2018, has not been disclosed but is understood to stand at a little

UNCTAD in June 2018 released a simulation of the impact of an all-out trade war on tariffs based on classical economic theory as validated by past observations. UNCTAD stands for United Nations Conference on Trade And Development. According to the report, the U.S. would impose average tariffs of 30% (vs. 7% now); the E.U. would increase its own average tariffs from 3% to 35%; Canada from 3% to 53%;

RSA Insurance Group in June 2018 said it received regulatory approval for its new insurance subsidiary in Luxembourg from the Commissariat aux Assurances (CAA). RSA, a P/C carrier, previously operated outside of the UK by way of an EU branch, focusing on large commercial clients. It writes approximately £350m in GWP and has over 5,000 commercial policyholders including the UK. Richard Turner, who currently oversees EU business from the UK

OECD, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in June 2018 issued a new report, A Broken Social Elevator? How to Promote Social Mobility, that provides new facts on social mobility in the context of increased inequalities of income and opportunities in OECD and selected emerging economies. It looks at the issue across and within generations, in income, education, health and occupation, and at how these are linked to

AXA in June 2018 announced it had sold its UK whole-of-market intermediary, The Health Insurance Group (THIG), to U.S. private equity firms Highbridge Principal Strategies and Madison Dearborn Partners. Acquired by AXA in 2008, The Health Insurance Group provides individual and corporate health and well-being products. Highbridge Principal Strategies and Madison Dearborn Partners already own several UK broking brands, including The Ardonagh Group. A “whole of market intermediary” is

The smooth transfer of personal data between the European Union and the UK is of critical importance for many British and Continental businesses and may be jeopardized by the Brexit process. The 1995 EU Directive on Privacy establishes EU citizens’ right to privacy, including the protection of their personal data and the “right to be forgotten” from search engines. Countries that conform to these rules receive “adequacy agreements” that

CVS Health and Aetna in June 2018 announced their post-merger leadership team. Aetna President Karen Lynch will stay on as executive vice president of CVS and president of the Aetna business unit. Richard di Benedetto will continue in his current role as president of Aetna International. Shawn Guertin, Aetna’s CFO and chief enterprise risk officer, will become executive vice president and CFO of CVS. Fran Soistman, executive vice president

Swiss Life Global Solutions (SLGS) and Swiss Life Luxembourg in June 2018 announced three appointments in their teams. Karine Verbuggen – Head of Operations SLGS Karine Verbruggen has been appointed head of operations for global employee benefits within SLGS. She also is a member of the Management Board of Swiss Life Luxembourg. She joined SLGS in 2016 as head of the Business Engineering team after a career as Head

Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows fell by 23% in 2017, to $1.4 trillion from $1.9 trillion in 2016, according to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2018 that was released in June 2018. The decline contrasts with other macroeconomic variables, which saw substantial improvement in 2017. The global fall was caused in part by a 22% decrease in the value of cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As). But even discounting the