Aon Benfield, the world’s premier reinsurance intermediary and capital advisor, today launches its Risk & Capital Strategy team to advise clients on capital and reinsurance optimization by analyzing the links between risk, volatility, capital and value.
Building on numerous successful engagements over the last five years, the global Risk & Capital Strategy team will coordinate the technical and actuarial aspects of capital calculations and work with local Analytics professionals to deliver strategic business advice to clients’ senior management. As part of Aon Benfield Analytics, the newly formed team will utilize Aon Benfield’s capital modeling software ReMetrica, coupled with the full breadth of Aon Benfield expertise in catastrophe modeling, non-catastrophe risk parameterization and rating agency expertise.
The creation of the new team is driven by today’s evolving capital challenges. Macro-economic instability and a softening underwriting cycle are testing the ability of insurance companies to effectively manage their capital. Additional capital uncertainty is being driven by regulatory changes, impending Solvency II capital requirements and the potential for changes in IFRS/GAAP accounting standards.
Parr Schoolman will head the team globally and in the Americas, Marc Beckers and Paul Maitland will lead the team in the UK and Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Will Gardner will lead the Asia Pacific-based team.
Stephen Mildenhall, CEO of Aon Benfield Analytics, said: “Insurers are under pressure to maximize enterprise value. Aon Benfield has launched the Risk & Capital Strategy team to deliver practical advice on how to achieve this goal. The risk and capital needs of insurers vary across the world, so the team will adopt country-specific strategies with an emphasis on local issues. Regulatory and rating agency capital requirements will also be a core element of all analyses.”
Parr Schoolman, global head of the Risk & Capital Strategy team, added: “In the current environment, insurers need to rationalize the link between their risk tolerance, their risk capacity and the compensation received for taking risk. We have had several successful projects helping clients address this need, from setting catastrophe capacity limits to cost of risk allocations and reserve risk quantification. Building upon our track record, the formalized team will allow us to replicate these capabilities globally and help clients navigate the challenges they will face during Solvency II implementation.”
Marc Beckers, head of Aon Benfield Analytics for EMEA, added: “All European re/insurers are gearing up for Solvency II and our expertise in understanding and modeling insurance risk will be extremely valuable for our clients. The requirements under Pillar 2 of Solvency II will drive companies to better understand how risk and volatility drive value and Aon Benfield is ideally placed to advise re/insurers on those issues.”
Source : AON Benfield Press Release
