Archives: Services

Philipp Kusche

Partner

Philipp Kusche joined TigerRisk Partners in April 2016 as Partner and Global Head of Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) and Capital Solutions where he built up TigerRisk Capital Markets & Advisory’s ILS platform focusing on origination, structuring, placement and trading of CAT bonds, sidecars and other ILS structures across many different areas of the insurance and reinsurance landscape, including developing relationships with institutional investors globally. This includes many innovative transactions across different line of businesses, fund raising for ILS managers and providing access points for capital markets and institutional investors looking to access insurance risk.

Philipp comes from Swiss Re Capital Markets in New York where he most recently was the Head of their ILS Structuring and Origination team covering Insurance Companies, Hedge Funds, Governmental Entities, and Corporate Clients in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. He joined Swiss Re Capital Markets in New York in 2006 and was responsible for and instrumental in creating and executing billions of dollars worth of CAT bonds, sidecars, contingent capital structures, and other alternative capital products for clients globally, while maintaining a strong focus on product development. As part of such activities, he developed relationships with many key ILS and other institutional investors and maintained a close dialogue with other stakeholders in the ILS space. In addition to such sell-side activities, he structured, priced, and executed a large number of CAT derivatives, mainly on a parametric basis, providing protection to a variety of clients. Philipp joined Swiss Re in 2002, and was initially based at its headquarters in Zurich as a management trainee. Working mainly in the Chief Underwriting Office, he quickly advanced into the global Energy Practice as a property underwriter in London and Zurich.

He graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from the Bauhaus University in Germany and a Masters Degree in Civil Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute in Zurich (ETH). His Masters Thesis, supported by Credit Suisse, was on public-private partnerships and their potential in Switzerland.

+1 646-685-4949

Bill Cooper

Head of Capital Advisory

Bill Cooper joined TigerRisk in July 2019 as Head of Capital Advisory based in TigerRisk (UK).

Prior to joining TigerRisk, Bill worked at Lloyds Bank where he led the bank’s corporate banking business in the insurance sector.  During Bill’s long tenure at Lloyds Bank, he helped guide the bank to its current position as a leading financier of firms within the UK and global insurance industry.  Bill led transactions in the broker/managing general agency market, as well as for numerous firms in the Lloyd’s of London market.   Additionally, Bill has significant financial restructuring experience, having worked closely with a number of over-leveraged firms in the financial services sector during and after the financial crisis.

Bill holds a Master’s degree in History from The University of Cambridge.

+44 (0) 20 3739 0065

David Unsworth

David Unsworth joined TigerRisk Partners in 2019 and is a seasoned reinsurance executive skilled in providing reinsurance solutions for the complex and constantly evolving market.  He brings market knowledge, analytics, and expertise across a broad array of classes.  David resides in Tampa, Florida.

David began his career in London in 1995 with Minet Ltd. and then RK Carvill & Co.  In 2002, David moved with Carvill America to Atlanta, Georgia, before joining Guy Carpenter in 2006 as a Senior Vice President.  David subsequently moved to Tampa, Florida, where he joined JLT Re in 2014.

David is originally from London and graduated from Kingston University in 1994.

+1 813-344-8464

Seth Ruff, FCAS

Partner

Seth Ruff joined TigerRisk in October 2017 as Partner and Head of Reinsurance Solutions, charged with amplifying the firm’s creative energy and impact. Seth collaborates with Tiger’s account teams, clients, and reinsurers to develop innovative and individualized reinsurance solutions, whether to facilitate growth, boost efficiency, reduce volatility, or enhance capital flexibility.

Seth joined from Swiss Re, where he spent 16 years, most recently as Managing Director, President of US P&C Core Partners Group and President of Swiss Re Underwriters Agency, Inc. In this role, Seth led a team of client managers and underwriters with responsibility for a multi-billion-dollar portfolio of P&C treaty reinsurance. Previously, Seth held various posts within Swiss Re including ten years in Structured Reinsurance Solutions, where he led the development and delivery of customized reinsurance solutions in the US Broker market, Latin America, and Canada. He also spent six years in casualty underwriting, including one year in Hong Kong. Seth began his insurance industry career as an actuarial consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in San Francisco and London.

Seth is a Fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from California State University.

+1 646-685-4969

Kenneth Kim, RPLU, CPCU, ARe

Partner

Ken Kim joined TigerRisk in 2015 and is based in their New York office.  He works closely with clients as an account executive and broker team leader in both property and casualty treaty business.  He also works with both new and prospective clients on product development and is a member of TigerRisk’s Casualty Specialty team.

Prior to TigerRisk, Ken worked at Guy Carpenter as a treaty broker for 13 years.  While at Guy Carpenter, he worked with a diverse group of clients and prospects to help them grow in new products, as well as acting as an account executive and lead placing broker on various reinsurance treaties.  Ken has expertise in a wide range of products including property, standard casualty lines, specialty casualty, workers compensation, professional liability, and other specialty lines.

Prior to Guy Carpenter, Ken worked at Aon Re for 3 years.  While at Aon Re, he worked closely with the actuarial and catastrophe modeling team until mid-2000 when he transitioned to work on treaty reinsurance placements.

Ken graduated from the University of Chicago in 1999 while double majoring in Chemistry and Economics.  He holds professional designations of RPLU, CPCU and ARe.

+1 646-685-4953

Craig Carmilani

Craig Carmilani joined TigerRisk in June 2018 as an associate in the New York office.  Prior to joining TigerRisk, Craig began his (re)insurance career in 2016 as an intern at Marsh on the FINPRO Financial Institutions team.  He then worked for Chubb as an underwriting intern on the financial institutions team before joining TigerRisk full time after graduation.

Craig earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Amherst College where he was a member of the two-time NESCAC Championship football team.

+1 646-685-4961

Jessica Groenewegen, ARe

Jessica Groenewegen joined TigerRisk Partners in 2017 as a member of the New York broking team, focusing on casualty accounts.  She began her career in (re)insurance through an array of internships, including: Marsh and McLennan Agency, The Niles Agency, Endurance, and Swett & Crawford, while studying at St. John’s University.  Through these internships, Jessica broadened her knowledge in several product lines, ranging from Excess and Surplus Lines to VIP Personal Insurance.

Jessica received a Bachelor of Science degree in Risk Management and Insurance from St. John’s University, formerly known as the College of Insurance.

+1 646-685-4950

Jessica Tarrant

Prior to joining TigerRisk UK in early 2013, Jessica Tarrant worked in the Claims Department for Bell & Clements Ltd as a Technician and Broker handling Homeowners and Commercial Property claims.  Jessica joined TigerRisk UK as a Technician and then transitioned to the London Broking Team in 2014 where she specializes in US Property Treaty and Binding Authorities.

Jessica has worked in the insurance/reinsurance industry for 15 years.

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James Dowd

Chairman – International

Jim Dowd brings 42 years of experience in insurance and reinsurance at the enterprise level to TigerRisk Partners.  His career in the industry began as General Counsel of Skandia America Re in 1972 where he ultimately was selected as Chairman and CEO in 1984.  He continued in that position until 1992 when he moved to Willis Re where he headed its North American reinsurance practice.  He returned to Skandia as CEO in 1995 tasked to sell the company which he did successfully in early 1996.  The buyer, Fairfax Financial Holdings of Toronto, Canada, used the Skandia acquisition as a base to found what is today Odyssey Re, a global reinsurer. Jim was a founder of that company.

In 2002 Jim was named Chairman and CEO of Fairfax Asia and led a team to extend Fairfax non-life operations to the Asia region.  For the next decade he led the team which acquired or initiated non-life insurance operations in India, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, and Thailand.  During this period, he served on the board of directors of all Asian affiliates and continued to serve as Vice Chairman of Odyssey Re.

Jim is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, St. John’s University School of Law, and C.W. Post College.  He is also a long-time member of the board of overseers of St. John’s University School of Insurance, Risk Management and Actuarial Science.  Jim is a veteran of service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

+1 203-883-0288

Michael Fung

Chief Executive

Michael Fung joined TigerRisk in 2015 as the head of the analytics in Asia.  His expertise includes economic capital modeling and assessment (including risk-based capital solvency regimes), commercial and treaty pricing, reinsurance structuring, reinsurance modeling, reserve valuation, and appraisal valuation for insurance mergers & acquisitions.

Prior to joining TigerRisk, Michael worked at a large Lloyd’s syndicate in London as a capital modeling actuary where he was involving in their Solvency II capital assessment.  Michael also worked as a consulting actuary at Towers Watson where he provided leadership on consulting projects and developed services in the areas of capital modeling and enterprise risk management for P&C companies across Asia.  His clients included government organizations and private sector re/insurers.

Before joining Towers Watson, Michael was the head of analytics at Willis Re in Hong Kong, where he led a team of actuaries to provide reinsurance advice to clients in China and Hong Kong.  He was also a managing director at Ultimate Risk Solutions in Asia Pacific where he was responsible for technical sales and support to clients.  He started his insurance career at Tillinghast-Towers Perrin, which is now part of Willis Towers Watson.

Michael holds a Master of Engineering (Honour) degree from Christ Church, University of Oxford in England.  He is a Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries in the United Kingdom, Fellow of the Singapore Actuarial Society, Fellow of the Malaysian Actuarial Society, and Fellow of the Hong Kong Actuarial Society.  Michael also sits on several insurance-related, actuarial, regulatory, and professional committees, including:

• Member of the Advisory Committee for Independent Insurance Authority of Hong Kong (2016-Present)
• Member of the General Insurance Committee of the Actuarial Society of Hong Kong (2012-Present)
• Member of the India Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (“IRDA”) commissioned Committee on Road Map for Risk Based Solvency Approach in Insurance Sector (2012-2013)

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Michael Bredahl

Michael Bredahl joined TigerRisk in 2017 as a member of the property broking team, focusing on Florida and southeast regional accounts.  Prior to joining TigerRisk, Michael interned at AXA Advisors where he worked as a financial advisor for teachers, as well as TransRe where he supported the surety underwriting team.

Michael graduated from Lafayette College where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a Certificate in Financial Policy and Analysis, as well as a minor in Government and Law.

+1 612-361-6136

Scott Geach, ARe

Scott Geach joined TigerRisk in 2017 as a member of the Current Client Team where he is responsible for supporting the placement of large reinsurance programs.  He is also leading TigerRisk’s Business Intelligence group, as well as contributing to other important initiatives within the company.

Scott began his reinsurance career in 2001 at Benfield Blanch (now Aon – Reinsurance Solutions) in the Accounting and Claims department.  After 4 years in Accounting and Claims, he transitioned to a role in Corporate Finance where he was responsible for revenue budgeting, forecasting, and reporting, as well as ad hoc management reporting and system improvements.  In 2014, Scott moved to Aon – Reinsurance Solutions IT where he led many high-profile projects including the implementation of IFRS 15/ASC 606 revenue recognition changes and development of new Business Intelligence functionality.

Scott earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse and holds the ARe and CSM designations.

+1 612-361-6139

Pao Her

Pao Her joined TigerRisk Partners in 2018 and is based in the Minneapolis office.  Prior to joining TigerRisk Partners, Pao began his reinsurance career in 2013 with Aon Inpoint.  He served as a Senior Analyst at Aon Inpoint and held various reinsurance responsibilities such as performing treasury functions, handling reinsurance accounting, and training new hires.  In 2016, Pao transitioned from Aon Inpoint to Trean Corporation to take on a broker role.  At Trean Corporation, Pao worked closely with clients as an Account Executive, securing reinsurance for property and casualty treaty business.  He also worked closely with MGA/GA businesses and clients who needed A.M. Best “A” rated paper.

Pao earned his Bachelor of Science in General Business from University of Northwestern, St. Paul in 2012 and his Master of Business Administration at Bethel University in 2016.

+1 612-361-6144

John Kenney, ARe

John Kenney joined TigerRisk in 2014 as a lead broker responsible for placing reinsurance for property and casualty clients.  He began his career in reinsurance in 1994 at E.W. Blanch Co. (now Aon Benfield) as a broker for clients ranging from specialty companies to regional, super-regional, and national carriers.  Prior to joining TigerRisk, John was a Managing Director with Aon Benfield where he was responsible for the design, placement, and management of various forms of reinsurance coverage for U.S. property and casualty insurers.

John earned a BS in Business Administration with a major in accounting from Creighton University and is also a graduate of the Creighton University School of Law.  He is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association and holds a CPA certificate and the ARe designation.

+1 952-314-1756

Jacob Sexton

Jacob Sexton joined TigerRisk Partners in 2017 as a member of the reinsurance brokerage team.  He works with both current and prospective clients on product development and ancillary strategic initiatives.  He is responsible for the execution of client renewals and the building of efficient catastrophe reinsurance structures with unique capital to risk solutions for TigerRisk clients.  Jacob supports a variety of property and casualty regional, super-regional, and global insurance companies.

Jacob received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.

+1 612-361-6138

Mitch Sullivan

Mitchell Sullivan began his career in reinsurance as an intern for TigerRisk Partners in the summer of 2016.  He joined TigerRisk as an Associate in June 2017 as a member of the broking team, providing analytical support on multiple property accounts.

Mitchell received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

+1 612-361-6137

Jacki Wagner

Jacki Wagner began her reinsurance career at Benfield (now Aon Benfield) in 2003 in the contract writing department and transitioned to broking upon joining TigerRisk in 2012.  As a member of the current client team, Jacki focuses primarily on Property business and is responsible for designing and implementing innovative reinsurance solutions and servicing a number of regional accounts.  Jacki also leads the placement of property facultative business for several regional clients.

Jacki holds a B.S. in Business Management, an MBA, and an M.A. in Strategic Leadership from Bethel University.

+1 952-314-1761

Mike Schnur

Partner

Mike Schnur is a senior reinsurance leader of the firm with over 40 years in the industry and has both client and future client account responsibilities.  Before joining TigerRisk Partners in 2009, Mike was an Executive Vice President with Benfield.  He was co-leader of their Client Development practice and a member of their U.S. Executive Committee.

Prior to Benfield, Mike spent 11 years with Guy Carpenter & Company, LLC as an Executive Vice President with various responsibilities.  He opened and ran their Chicago office, was head of their Mid-America Region, as well as becoming Global Head of their Business Development efforts.  Mike was a member of Guy Carpenter’s Executive Committee.  Mike spent 10 years with Aon Re and was a member of their Executive Committee.  He began his career as a reinsurance underwriter, first with General Re, and then with F&G Re.

Mike is a graduate of Drake University, with a BSBA in Accounting, and is a CPA.

+1 312-268-7300

Steve Pfeiffer, CPCU, RPLU, ASLI, ARe

Partner

Steve Pfeiffer is a Partner in TigerRisk’s Chicago office where he serves as account executive for several of the firm’s core property, specialty casualty, and retro clients.  In that role, he leads cross-functional teams focused on providing strategic advice and crafting innovative solutions to clients’ unique risk and capital management needs.  Steve is also engaged in the firm’s business development efforts, cultivating future client partnerships and creating new opportunities to leverage external capacity to decrease (re)insurers’ cost of capital and reduce volatility of earnings.

Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Notre Dame and a Master’s in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.  Prior to joining TigerRisk, Steve worked as a treaty reinsurance broker with Guy Carpenter and held (re)insurance underwriting positions with subsidiaries of General Reinsurance Corporation.

+1 312-878-1906

Jeremiah Pawlowicz, ARe

Associate

Prior to joining TigerRisk Partners in January 2018, Jeremiah Pawlowicz was the Director of Enterprise Risk Management: Capital Modeling at CNA.  Jeremiah began his reinsurance career in 2008 with Aon Re (now Aon Benfield) and from 2008 to 2014, he held various analytics and investment banking positions at Aon Benfield.  From 2014 to 2018, Jeremiah worked for CNA Financial Corporation in Cat/Capital Modeling, Predictive Analytics and Enterprise Risk Management.

Jeremiah earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and his master’s degree in business administration from University of Chicago Booth School of Business.  He also holds the ARe designation.

+1 312-878-1904

Jessica Ratcliffe

Prior to joining TigerRisk UK in early 2013, Jessica Ratcliffe worked in the Claims Department for Bell & Clements Ltd as a Technician and Broker handling Homeowners and Commercial Property claims. Jessica joined TigerRisk UK as a Technician and then transitioned to the London Broking Team in 2014 where she specializes in US Property Treaty and Binding Authorities.

Jessica has worked in the insurance/reinsurance industry for 15 years.

+44 (0) 20 3739 0053