Insurance Times rounds up the most significant appointments, hires and leadership developments from 5 to 8 May 2026

Kicking off the roster for the biggest people moves this week was the announcement that specialty MGA Fiducia had made two new appointments in support of its “continuing expansion strategy across the UK, EU and international markets”.

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It confirmed that David Rubin will join the firm as an assistant underwriter, while Joanne Brady has been appointed to the finance team in the role of credit controller.

Meanwhile, ahead of the upcoming Biba conference, the trade body hired Lesley Maxwell as its regional manager for the north. 

Joining on 11 May 2026, Maxwell will be responsible for strategic development of the region and building relationships in Yorkshire, north east, Scotland, north west and Northern Ireland.

An insurer appointment also made it into the top five as Covéa Insurance promoted Stephen Long to the role of chief operating officer (COO).

In his new role, Long will lead the company’s claims, operations, IT and customer functions and keep his position on the executive committee.

Then, Aviva has expanded its regional specialty segment, with 15 new hires across the UK and increased investment in its digital operations.

The firm said that its regional specialty team – which sits within Aviva’s global, corporate and specialty business – focuses on supporting “mid-market risks that require both specialist underwriting and local decision making”.

Finally, Markerstudy launched a new commercial insurance arm and appointed Ross Barrington as it chief executive.

Barrington, who previously served as managing director at Markestudy Broking, said the commercial arm is now fully “open for business” after signing off on a strategy to grow the business to £200m gross written premium (GWP) during the next phase.

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