London, 14 January 2025 – Africa Specialty Risks (“ASR”), the pan-African and Middle East focused reinsurance group, today announces the appointments of Genevieve Ahinful and Suzan Pardesi as Deputy Active Underwriters of Syndicate 2454.
Genevieve is Head of Political Risk and Trade Credit (PRTC), having joined ASR in 2020 with over 20 years’ experience. She began her insurance career at Euler Hermes in 2001, before progressing through a series of underwriting and broking roles at Aon, HCC, Gallaghers, Equinox and African Trade & Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI).
Suzan is ASR’s Head of Energy, having joined the company in November 2020. A qualified chemical engineer, with over 24 years’ experience in the industry, she has held roles including Risk Engineer at XL Global Services, Senior Underwriter at XL Insurance, Engineering Risk Consultant at Arup, and Senior Energy Underwriter at Lloyd’s syndicate Navigators.
Both will support Martin Boreham, Active Underwriter, and continue the growth and expansion of Syndicate 2454, which was launched in April 2024.
Mikir Shah, CEO of ASR, said: “Genevieve and Suzan are exceptional underwriters who lead successful lines of business and have outstanding specialty experience. In the Deputy Active Underwriter roles, they will provide invaluable underwriting leadership as we continue to expand our Syndicate capacity along with the recent creation of our Baobab Consortium.
“The launch of Syndicate 2454 was a milestone achievement for ASR in 2024, and we’ve continued to evolve this by increasing our line size as well as adding a Consortium.”
Martin Boreham, Active Underwriter, Syndicate 2454 at ASR, added: “Genevieve and Suzan are both seasoned underwriters who have deep experience across our whole portfolio. Adding both to our senior underwriting leadership at Lloyd’s will help us to ensure that we build on our outstanding technical underwriting skills across our entire book of business.”
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Media Enquiries
Africa Specialty Risks
Mikir Shah, CEO
Via Tavistock
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asr@tavistock.co.uk
About ASR
Africa Specialty Risks (ASR) provides comprehensive risk mitigating solutions through high quality underwriting to local and global customers across Africa and the Middle East, with operations in London, Mauritius, Bermuda, Morocco. Since its launch, ASR participated in the de-risking of $28 bn of projects and assets across 66 countries.
In addition to our Bermuda and Mauritius reinsurers, ASR’s unique co-reinsurance model involves collaborating with local and international (re)insurance companies. In 2024, ASR launched Syndicate 2454, the first African focused syndicate writing business at Lloyd’s.
Across the group, ASR underwrites across Political Risk, Trade Credit, Political Violence & Terrorism, Property, Energy, Construction, Liability, Parametric and Treaty. ASR also offers an end-to-end captive solution to corporate and financial institutions.
ASR is backed by Helios Investment Partners’ Fund IV and benefits from their extensive reach across Africa, as well as their knowledge and experience in our key markets.