Executive Committee

Chris O’Kane has been Chief Executive Officer and a director of Aspen since he founded the company in 2002. He has over 30 years of insurance and reinsurance experience, after beginning his career as a Lloyd's of London broker.

He established Aspen as a Bermuda-domiciled insurance and reinsurance group with a team from Wellington Underwriting plc, a leading specialist insurance and reinsurance company quoted on the London Stock Exchange.

At Wellington, Chris was a director and Chief Underwriting Officer of Wellington’s principal underwriting operation, Syndicate 2020 at Lloyd’s of London. During his time at Wellington, he built specialist knowledge in property insurance and reinsurance, together with underwriting capabilities in a broad range of other (re)insurance disciplines.

Under his leadership, Aspen has grown from its beginnings as a writer of UK commercial insurance, and property and casualty reinsurance to becoming a New York Stock Exchange listed company with total assets of $9.5 billion, now offering a broad range of specialty, property and casualty insurance and reinsurance lines. The company operates from almost 30 offices ineight countries, and has more than 800 employees.

Chris lives in London, is married and has three children. He is a keen skier and collector of contemporary art.

Brian was appointed Chairman of Aspen Re in August 2012. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Re from January 2010 to August 2012 and President of Aspen Re from June 2008 until January 2010.  Prior to this, he was appointed Head of Reinsurance in May 2006.  He joined Aspen in January 2004 as President of Aspen Re America.  Before this, Brian was at XL Re America, where he acted in several capacities including Senior Vice President, Chief Property Officer, responsible for property facultative and treaty, as well as marine, and Chief Marketing Officer. He began his career in 1982 at Gen Re and also held senior positions at NAC Re, Cologne Re of America and Guy Carpenter.

Michael joined us as Group General Counsel in 2008 after five years as Corporate Counsel and Company Secretary/COO at Benfield Advisory. He previously worked for law firms Barlow Lyde & Gilbert and Ashurst Morris Crisp. Michael holds degrees from the University of Reading and the University of Bristol, and attended Cranfield School of Management.

James joined the insurance market in 1993 and went on to spend eight years underwriting property insurance business, first in the London company market and then at Lloyd’s. James, who is ACII and AIRM qualified, moved to property treaty reinsurance in 2001, joined Aspen at inception in 2002 and was promoted to Group Head of Property Reinsurance in June 2004. 

Following the expansion of Aspen's business in Bermuda in late 2005, James moved to the island and was appointed Chief Underwriting Officer for Aspen Insurance Limited in addition to his group role.  In 2010, he was appointed President, Aspen Re and assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Bermuda Limited. In August 2012 he was appointed as CEO of Aspen Re.

Karen joined us in 2005 as Head of Strategy and Office of the CEO, Aspen Group. She was later appointed CEO of AMAL, the managing agency of our Lloyd’s Syndicate 4711 and CEO of Aspen Insurance UK Limited, our UK company. Karen had previously worked as a principal with the global private equity firm MMC Capital Inc – formerly owned by Marsh and McLennan and now Stone Point Capital. Before this, she was a director at GE Capital in London, co-running the business development team responsible for mergers and acquisitions in Europe. She started her career as an investment banker with Baring Brothers and then Schroders.

She is a Director of the Board of the International Underwriting Association, which promotes and enhances the business environment for international (re)-insurance companies operating in London.

She is also a member of the Almeida Projects Advisory Council, the educational outreach programme of the Almeida Theatre Company.

*Aspen Insurance UK Limited and Aspen Managing Agency Limited.

Emil joined us in 2006 as Head of Casualty Treaty at Aspen Re America, before becoming Head of Casualty Reinsurance in 2008. In August 2012 he was appointed as Chief Underwriting Officer of Aspen Re. He came to us from Swiss Re America, where he was Senior Treaty Account Executive responsible for various global and national property casualty clients. Emil began his career at Gen Re as a casualty facultative underwriter.

Stephen was appointed Group Chief Risk Officer in February 2013. He joined Aspen as Deputy Chief Actuary in 2003 and became Head of Risk six years later. From February 2012 until October 2012, Stephen stepped in as Acting Group Chief Risk Officer. Before joining Aspen, he spent a year at the Financial Services Authority working on the development of the Individual Capital Assessment process for non-life insurers.

Stephen previously spent nine years with KPMG in London and Sydney, working as a senior general insurance actuarial consultant – predominantly on the London market, Lloyd’s and reinsurance clients. He started his career as a management consultant at Andersen Consulting and has been a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries since 2001.

Kate joined as a founder underwriter in 2002, working in property reinsurance. She was Head of Group Planning for three years from 2003, joined Aspen Bermuda in 2004, and became Director of Underwriting in 2007. Kate previously worked as an underwriter with Wellington Syndicate 2020 and, before that, as assistant underwriter at Wellington Syndicate 51. She is also an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute.

Rupert had more than 35 years’ experience in the London market, including over 20 years as an executive, when he joined us in 2009 as Global Head of Professional and Financial Lines. In 1986 he co-founded SVB Holdings – subsequently renamed Novae Holdings – and remained there for 17 years, including 11 as CEO and three as underwriter of Syndicate 1007.

In 2005 Rupert co-founded APJ Continuation Ltd, whose major subsidiary writes a specialist book of special accident insurance. That Group has subsequently been purchased by Aspen. Beyond his immense London experience, Rupert served as a non-executive director of CertaAsig Societate di Asigurare Ci Reasigurare SA, a Romanian insurance company, and its holding company from 2008 until 2012.

When Mario joined us in March 2011, he already had 35 years of experience in various global leadership positions across a broad spectrum of our industry. He joined Aspen from Zurich Financial Services, where he was CEO of Global Corporate, with responsibility for all of Zurich's corporate business globally. He was also a member of the Zurich Group Management Board.  Prior to joining Zurich, Mario spent six years with the global broker, Willis Group Holdings, including four as CEO of Willis North America.

Mario is a member of the Board of Trustees of St. John's University College of Insurance in New York, the Board of Directors of AICPCU, the Board of the American Insurance Association (A.I.A.), and a former member of the Board of Boys Hope Girls Hope New York (BHGH) and Board of Directors of the Council of Insurance Agents & Brokers. 

John joined Aspen as Group Chief Financial Officer on 1 November 2012. He was previously Group Financial Controller of Barclays PLC. Prior to this, John worked for three years with Ernst & Young LLP as a Partner in Banking & Capital Markets, four years with Prudential UK as Head of IT and Head of Risk and five years with Barclays Capital. John started his career with Price Waterhouse, working predominantly in London, Tokyo and Grand Cayman.