Clive Tobin to become insurer's chief executive at the start of next year

Torus Insurance Holdings has appointed Clive Tobin as the group’s chief executive, effective from January 1, 2009. He will succeed interim chief executive David Hope who will continue as chief underwriting officer.

Tobin was most recently chief executive of XL Capital’s global insurance operations. He joined XL Capital in Bermuda in 1995 and in 2001 moved to Zurich to head up XL Insurance Global Risk, the combined global risk management operations of XL and the newly acquired Winterthur International. In 2004 he moved to London to assume the position of chief executive. He began his insurance career in 1979 with Marsh & McLennan in Bermuda and New York and in 1986 joined Rockefeller Financial Services in New York to lead their insurance, brokerage and risk management operations.

Commenting on the appointment, Mark McComiskey, chairman of Torus, said: “Clive Tobin is the right person to become the chief executive of Torus. He brings unparalleled leadership experience and knowledge of the global insurance industry. His years building XL’s insurance business into a leading global commercial insurer with over $5 billion in premiums and his vision for the future of Torus as a differentiated, global, specialty insurer make him uniquely qualified to lead the development of Torus.

"He will be adept at balancing a technical approach to underwriting and risk management, with the needs of the customers and the continuing evolution and growth of the company. We are delighted to welcome him on board. We would also like to thank David Hope for his tireless efforts as Torus’ interim chief executive, and are delighted that he will now have more time to concentrate on developing the Torus underwriting platform.”

Tobin said: “Our strategic focus will be in large commercial property, casualty and specialty businesses. Over time we plan to build a global company that will differentiate itself through technical expertise and creative thinking around customer and broker needs. Innovation and responsiveness will be core in all aspects of how we approach our business, whether that be new products, claims handling or service delivery.”