AIG appoints first head of real estate for commercial property

Insurer AIG has appointed Dean Cloke as the new head of real estate for its UK commercial property division.

Cloke joins the firm from Everest Insurance, where he held the role of head of property for the UK and Ireland.

Prior to his time as Everest, Cloke spent 15 years at Zurich, where he held a succession of senior and leadership roles including underwriting manager, team leader for corporate property and latterly head of property real estate.

The appointment follows the news that AIG had acquired the renewal rights for the majority of Everest Group’s retail insurance portfolios worldwide, representing approximately $2bn (£1.52bn) of premium.

The deal did not include Everest’s European Union portfolios, though AIG said it hoped to expand the acquisition to include them in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

Robust team

The new hire will be based in AIG’s London offices and report directly to AIG’s head of UK commercial property, Mitesh Patel.

Commenting on the appointment, Patel said: “[I am] excited to welcome Cloke, who joins AIG today as head of real estate, commercial property UK, based in London.

“In this newly created role, Cloke will lead the development of our real estate insurance portfolio and go-to-market strategy, partnering closely with the wider property team and our broker partners.

“He will also be focused on building a robust real estate team for AIG UK to support our growth targets in this important segment.”