Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty appoints chief underwriting officer for corporate

Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty SE (AGCS), part of the Allianz Group, has appointed Shanil Williams as its new chief underwriting officer for corporate, effective from 1 January 2022 and subject to regulatory approval.

In this position, Williams will oversee AGCS’ global underwriting operations across corporate lines of business, such as property, liability, financial lines and alternative risk transfer, as well as have responsibility for the Allianz Group Cyber Centre of Competence.

He will also lead the Allianz risk consulting and key internal underwriting functions, which includes accumulation and catastrophe risk management and portfolio performance management.

Meanwhile, oversight of the energy and construction line of business and the global pricing team will move to sit with the firm’s chief underwriting officer for specialty, Renate Strasser.

Williams, who will also join the AGCS SE management board upon taking up his new role, succeeds Tony Buckle, who is leaving the business for personal reasons.

Joachim Mueller, chief executive of AGCS, said: “I would like to thank Tony for his high personal commitment and contribution to the successful realignment of our corporate lines portfolio.

“On behalf of the AGCS board of management, I wish him all the best for his future, professionally and personally.”

Best internal talent for the job

Currently, Williams works as the global head of financial lines at AGCS.

He initially joined the firm back in 2016 as country manager for New Zealand. In 2018, he moved to Munich to become AGCS’ global head of commercial for financial lines, before taking on the full financial lines leadership position in 2019.

Prior to joining Allianz, Williams spent 14 years with AIG and has held a number of senior financial lines regional leadership roles in Auckland, Johannesburg, Paris and London.

Mueller continued: “I welcome Shanil as a new member to the AGCS board of management, as we focus increasingly on profitable growth and market opportunities.

“As one of our best internal talents in underwriting and a highly respected team leader of a large global underwriting unit, he is ready to make the next step in his career and assume wider responsibility for AGCS’ underwriting performance and sustained business success.”