Vishal Desai joins from the Bank of England, where he is acting head of division, general insurance risk specialists and chief actuary

Speciality Lloyd’s (re)insurer MS Amlin Underwriting (MS AUL) has appointed Vishal Desai as its new chief risk officer, subject to regulatory approval.

Desai joins from the Bank of England, where he is acting head of division, general insurance risk specialists and chief actuary. He has also served tenures at UBS, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and Hiscox.

Desai will join the business in May to replace Giles Holland, who is leaving the firm to pursue other opportunities. He will report to Johan Slabbert, chief executive of MS AUL.

The business has also appointed Catherine Scullion in newly created role of chief actuary – she will start at MS AUL in April, reporting to chief financial officer Phil Green. She is joining from Lloyd’s of London, where she has worked since 2015.

Slabbert said: “I am delighted to announce these two senior appointments, both of which will support our business transformation and strengthen our core leadership teams.

“Both Vishal and Catherine bring a depth of sector, risk and actuarial expertise that will immediately contribute to our strategic ambitions. We are delighted to attract such diverse senior talent and [this] underpins our aspirations as a prestigious underwriting business, with a London market presence worthy of our heritage and potential.”

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.