Ecclesiastical hires ex-Aspen leader as new operations director

Specialty insurer Ecclesiastical has appointed Neil McGeachie as its new UK operations director, to support the firm’s growth ambitions and improve its operational functionality.

McGeachie, who has 30 years of industry experience, joined Ecclesiastical in May 2025 and will remain in post for an initial period of one year. This interim term has been designed so that the insurer can ensure that the newly created role is meeting the desired business needs.

Previously, McGeachie worked as UK chief operating officer at Aspen Insurance – a role he held for a little over three years.

He first started his career as motor claims handler at Royal and Sun Alliance, before taking on roles such as senior claims examiner at Chubb, senior underwriting analyst at QBE and executive of syndicate underwriting performance at Lloyd’s. 

Speaking on McGeachie’s appointment, Richard Coleman, managing director at Ecclesiastical UK, said: “I’m really pleased to welcome McGeachie to the business.  

“We have ambitious plans for the future and to help us achieve those targets, we’ve been bringing in quality people with extensive experience – McGeachie is the latest addition to that group. 

“We want to be doing better, providing the best possible outcomes for our customers and broker partners and driving excellence in everything we do. McGeachie’s arrival will help push that to the next level.” 

Leadership shake up

McGeachie’s appointment follows a slew of recent high profile hires over the last two years, including Marc Lewis and Adam Wright from Aviva, Dave Carey from Allianz, Lara Bealing from Canada Life and James Medlicott from HDI Global.

Upon joining this leadership roster, McGeachie said: “I am thrilled to be joining Ecclesiastical during this dynamic phase of its journey. 

”The company’s strong focus on growth, paired with its distinctive charitable mission, truly sets it apart in the industry and was a major factor in drawing me to the role.

“I am excited to work alongside such a talented team as we drive Ecclesiastical’s growth ambitions forward and continue to deliver an outstanding proposition to clients and brokers.”