Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance added an executive to its leadership team in Europe. QBE International boosted its Latin America focus with executive additions to its regional team in Miami and Houston. Zurich Insurance Group has its first ever group chief data officer.

***

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has added Constanza Gállegos to its leadership team in Europe as Country Manager, Spain.

“BHSI has been expanding rapidly, bringing consistency and stability to customers across Europe,” Chris Colahan, Head of Europe for BHSI, said in prepared remarks. “With her extensive industry experience and relationships, Constanza will play a pivotal role in accelerating our growth in Spain, and we are excited to welcome her to our team.”

Constanza has nearly 24 years of experience in the European insurance industry. Most recently, she was Head of Distribution, Europe, at QBE Insurance, where she spent 14 years in increasingly senior positions. She holds Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Economics & Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from Universidad Pontificia Comillas.

She is based in BHSI’s office in Madrid.

***

QBE International has ramped up its focus in Latin America with additions to its regional team in Miami and Houston.

Juan David Mejia has joined as vice president of Property Underwriting and will be based in QBE International’s regional Latin American hub in Miami. He joins from Swiss Re where he was senior property underwriter, Latin America. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in the Latin American insurance market to the role and reports to Alfonso De Mares, head of Miami, QBE International Markets.

In his new role, Mejia will develop and manage the property portfolio underwritten by QBE’s International Markets division in the region.

Maria Amalia Cruz has been appointed LatAm senior claims specialist in the Miami office. She joins from Steller Public Adjusting Services where she was property/casualty claims adjuster. In her new role, Amalia Cruz reports to De Mares.

In addition, Paula Mackenzie, portfolio manager for LatAm Casualty for QBE International Markets will be relocated from the London office to Houston to bring her wealth of experience closer to the region.

***

Zurich Insurance Group has appointed Peter Kasahara to the new role of group chief data officer to oversee data management and to help drive the Group’s digital transformation.

He will lead global data management and governance, develop new data analytics capabilities and products, expand Zurich’s machine learning competencies, and ensure delivery against our data for good commitment. Kasahara will be based in Zurich, Switzerland, and report to Ericson Chan, group chief information and digital officer.

Kasahara joins Zurich on Oct. 1, 2021, from PwC, where he was the managing partner for PwC Digital Intelligence, providing corporate customers with data advice and solutions for their digital transformation. Before joining PwC, he held various senior leadership roles at IBM, including general manager of IBM iX in Europe and general manager of Analytics and Strategy Consulting in Europe. During his 14 years at IBM, Kasahara successfully launched two business units to optimize data analytics capabilities and integrated three acquired companies.

Sources: BHSI, QBE International, Zurich Insurance