Meet The Board

Claire McDonald

UK & Ireland Managing Director for HDI Global SE and Chair of iWIN

Claire is the UK & Ireland Managing Director for HDI Global SE – corporate insurance provider which she joined in March 2019. Prior to that she worked for over 30 years with Allianz in a mixture of underwriting and operations leadership roles, both on a local basis in UK and France and in more recent years in Global roles as Global Head of Operations and Global Practice Leader, Allianz Multinational). Claire is a Liveryman in the Worshipful Company of Insurers and on the Board of iWin as well as an Ambassador for the Insurance Supper Club. Claire’s passion for working for a more gender equal world comes from her core values around fairness, meritocracy and wastefulness – gender should never be a reason why someone is overlooked and what are the societal “norms” that mean that the playing ground is not even and how can we work to change them. Claire is an active mentor and supporter of young women.

Sally Bramall FCII

Head Market Relations Governance, WTW

Sally is currently Head of the Market Relations Governance at Willis Towers Watson. Sally joined Willis in 1988 and served as Global Head of Market Security from 1998-2013. She additionally served as Chief Operating Officer of the GB Client & Business Development Group and Financial Institutions Group. Sally is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute, holds a M.B.A. from the University of Hull, and is Vice President and Diversity Officer for the Insurance Institute of Ipswich, Suffolk & North Essex. She sits on the Lloyd’s of London steering committee for D&I (“Inclusion@Lloyd’s”), and the iWIN Committee, the women’s network of Worshipful Company of Insurers,.

Brendan McCafferty

CEO, Brightside

Brendan McCafferty is the current CEO at Brightside Insurance, one of the UK’s largest insurance brokers. Previously, he worked as CEO of Flood Re where he launched and managed an industry-backed initiative to make flood insurance more affordable and accessible for those living in flood-prone areas.

Vivine Cameron BA (Hons) Assoc CIPD

Education Partnerships Manager, CII

Vivine was appointed in January 2018 as Education Partnerships Manager for the Chartered Insurance Institute. Her role and remit is the creation and management of CII partnerships within Higher Education to expand the range of education options available to insurance and personal finance professionals – both existing and future professionals. 2008 American Express Regent’s Club Award Winner - recognizing outstanding top performing 3% of employees globally for their goal achievements and leadership behaviours. A highly skilled Project Manager with a real passion for individual personal and professional Learning and Development. Skilled in interpersonal relationships with a wide range of internal and external clients and stakeholders. Management of Projects, Programmes, Learning & Development (Training) interventions for Private, Not for Profit, Education and Legal professions.

John O'Connor

Head of Inclusion HRD, Ageas

John has held many significant and senior HR roles spanning over a 25 year period, at leading organisations such as AXA, Subsea 7, Lloyds Register, Shell International Trading and Shipping Company in the UK and previously spent a significant part of his career in Australia for organisations such as Bayer and Coles Myer Limited. John also ran his own consulting business for a period of time, before deciding to join Ageas as their Head of Talent and Development and more recently moving in to the role of Head of Inclusion and Diversity. John has led significant HR programme initiatives, developed leading-edge HR and Talent Management solutions, working in complex global matrix environments and has a real passion for transformational change, but in particular has a passion for driving change across the diversity and inclusion space.

Sarah Griffiths

Director of Communications, Gallagher

Sarah is Director of Communications for Gallagher’s UK broking and underwriting business. She joined Gallagher in 2013 and is responsible for internal and external communications across the 5,000-strong business along with UK corporate partnerships, including Gallagher’s Title Partnership of Premiership Rugby. Sarah moved into the insurance industry seven years ago, initially out of curiosity, after spending 15 years in the telecoms and technology sector, latterly as Head of Communications for BT Wholesale. She is a passionate advocate for working parents and has an eight year old son who she is (desperately) trying to teach the Welsh language in an attempt to keep her homeland roots alive in London.

Irem Yerdelen

Director, Climate and Resilience Hub, Willis Towers Watson

Irem is an experienced and forward-thinking risk management consultant with excellent educational background and 15 years industry experience, starting her career in Marsh & McLennan before moving to Willis Towers Watson (WTW) in 2012. Irem has held various roles throughout her career including; placing large and complex risks into the London Market, producing (Re)insurance business internationally, advising clients on risk management issues, managing team of brokers and carrier relationships. In her current role Irem is leading the corporate client engagement for WTW’s Climate and Resilience Hub, enabling clients’ access to subject matter expertise and climate change related solutions intersect between risk, people and capital. Irem’s passion for Inclusion and Diversity is keeping her busy as the Co-chair of WTW’s Gender Equity Network in the UK. Irem has been awarded 'Freedom of The City' in 2018 by City of London Corporation as a recognition of her outstanding contribution to making City diverse place to work. Irem is a Liveryman of Worshipful Company of Insurers since then and contributes to promoting excellence and exceptional ethical behaviour within insurance industry, helping to the City Civic in London and the wider community. Outside the day job, Irem is a significant contributor to various charity organisations that are determined to help others in need within under-represented societies. An environmentalist, loves conserving nature, walking, foraging and drive positive vision & mission forward globally in today's changing world.

Dr Jyoti Navare

Associate Professor at Middlesex University Business School

Jyoti is Associate Professor at Middlesex University Business School. She holds a Doctorate of Philosophy from Southampton University (Risk Management) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute and an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. She has a number of years of experience as an International Risk Manager and Underwriter based in London and Sweden and working closely with Financial Services organisations and governments internationally. Apart from holding visiting professorships at a number of European universities and at a premier Indian Research Institute in Mumbai, she is also an invited member of Financial Services Innovation Centre in India which has board level members from insurance companies, finance organisations, stock market and professional bodies. She has also held non-executive/independent directorships of a UK Housing Association and a Financial Services Professional Body in the City of London and on their board of the Professional Standards and Ethics committee. She is also currently a school governor. In 2019 she became a liveried member of the Worship Company of Insurers. She remains actively engaged in research, academic management and leadership, PhD supervisions, distance learning Masters; consultancy and knowledge transfer. Her research interests in addition to risk management include business modelling; microfinance, corporate and consumer behaviour; sustainability, innovation, international business; corporate social responsibility and professional development. She had written a book on Marketing of Financial Services and contributed to other books on risk management, microfinance and vulnerable households. Collaborating with two other universities and in receipt of an ESRC grant, published in 2019, an Handbook on Small Business Social Responsibility: Global Perspectives (Edward Elgar) At university and in the dept. of Economics she also holds a role of Employability Advocate and is passionate in encouraging students’ skills development and their access to relevant graduate employment, placements and internships and also exposing them to various industry sectors.

Erik Johnson

Deputy Active Underwriter, Victor Syndicate 2288

Erik Johnson is an avid volunteer and passionate advocate for all things Canadian, insurance, and inclusion and diversity. He was a founding Co-Chair of Link (LGBT Insurance Network), the Insurance Institute of London’s first Diversity Champion, and a founding Steering Committee member of iCAN (Insurance Cultural Awareness Network). He currently sits on the Inclusion@Lloyd’s committee and leads its Partner Network Initiative, is a Council and ExCo member of the Insurance Institute of London, and National Forum Officer with the Chartered Insurance Institute. Erik also sits on the Advisory Board of the University of Calgary’s Risk & Insurance faculty’s programme Advisory Board. And as if that isn’t enough to squeeze in, Erik’s day job is as the Deputy Active Underwriter for Victor Insurance’s Lloyd’s Syndicate 2288. Erik’s previous life was as a professional ballet dancer, having trained with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Following an injury that cut short his career, Erik returned home to Calgary to study his Bachelor of Commerce degree with a joint major in Insurance, Risk Management & Finance. He started his insurance career at Marsh in Canada and moved to London in 2004 to study his MSc Insurance & Risk Management at Cass Business School. Upon graduation, Erik joined Deloitte’s Corporate Finance Insurance Practice working as an Assistant Director on M&A due diligence and strategy projects across the insurance industry. He joined the London Market in 2011 working in strategy, corporate development, and syndicate management roles. In 2017 Erik was recognised as a ‘Market Inclusion & Diversity Champion’ by LM Forums; in 2019 as the Chartered Insurance Institute’s ‘Unsung Hero’ and ‘Special recognition Award’ at the Dive In Awards; and in 2019 the ‘Distinguished Alumni Award’ by the University of Calgary’s faculty of Risk Management & Insurance. He is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and Liveryman of the WCI.

Cathy Garner

Co-Founder and Director of G3P

Cathy Garner, BSc (Hons), ACII, Chartered Insurer, is a co-founder and Director of G3P, a company formed to set up a new life and health insurance carrier in Europe. During her 30+ year career, Cathy has been the Active Underwriter of both ANV Life Syndicate 779 and Kiln Life Syndicate 308 in Lloyd’s, and was the Global Head of Life and Disability for Global Benefits Group. Cathy also spent a decade in the (re)insurance company market, working for Swiss Re Life & Health UK and Friends' Provident. She is currently a member of the DTI and ABI’s joint Access to Insurance Working Party, in the Insurance in the Workplace stream. She is a past chair of the Lloyd’s Market Association Term Life Business Panel, and of the Association of Medical Underwriters; a long-serving member of the Insurance Institute of London’s Financial Services Committee, a founder member of the Association of British Insurers’ Rare Genetic Conditions and HIV Working Groups, and a founder member and past chair of The Women’s Insurance Network. Cathy built an exceptional team in Lloyd’s which was 80% female in a predominantly male section of the industry. She is passionate about the strength and opportunities of a diverse workforce in the insurance industry, and fundamentally believes in encouraging and mentoring younger staff to grow, develop and take risks. In 2016 Cathy was identified by young insurers as an industry role model in an Insurance Post survey, and as an Influential Woman in Re/Insurance by the Intelligent Insurer. She is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Insurers.

Kay White

Founder, Way Forward Solutions

With over two decades of her own corporate career at Willis London, since 2006 Kay now uses her career experience, knowledge and life wisdom to coach and mentor corporate career women in financial services towards career success and satisfaction. She also partners with organisations to support them accelerate (and stop them losing) the leadership potential of their female talent pipeline. Kay is the author of the Amazon Number 1 bestsellers The A to Z of Being Understood (2011) and It’s Always Your Move (2018) empowering corporate career women to overcome the belief they have to sell their souls or sacrifice their well-being to get ahead at work. She’s the creator of the ELEVATE Programme, a process showing women how to leverage the value of their skills, experience and how to take responsibility and drive their own career potential. Passionate that ‘we teach what we most needed to learn’ Kay is committed to infusing women with the courage and commitment to show up fully and future-proof their careers.

Paolo Cuomo

Director of Operations, Brit Insurance

Paolo is the Director of Operations at Brit Insurance where he started in summer 2019, building on over ten years’ experience in the London insurance market, working for Beazley, Charles Taylor and Boston Consulting Group. Paolo brings an unrelenting drive to ensure technology is effectively used across the insurance process in underwriting, claims and back-office functions. Over the past decade Paolo has set up a new Lloyd’s syndicate and Managing Agency, supported the creation of the Lloyd’s Lab, and pushed the development of the “bionic underwriter” which blends human experience and judgement with data analytics and technology-enable insight. At Brit he was part of the team that launch the innovative ‘Ki’ digital syndicate. In 2015 Paolo co-founded InsTech London, the world’s first insurtech association and a driving force in making London the centre of the global insurtech movement. Paolo sits on the IIL’s Cyber and Tech committee, is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Insurers (WCI), and a founding member of the Global InsurTech Alliance. He advises and mentors various insurtech start-ups. Paolo holds an MEng from Imperial College, London and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management. At the WCI, Paolo sits on the on the iWin Committee and is the Charity Link with Action Tutoring.