Former Canopius UK CEO Willmont to join Lockton Re

Sarah Willmont, the former UK CEO of Lloyd’s insurer Canopius, is set to join expansive reinsurance broker Lockton Re, The Insurer can reveal.

Willmont, who stepped down from the CEO role in October last year, will work within Lockton Re’s retrocession and property specialty division, as well as supporting London market and global production activity.

The move marks a return to broking for Willmont, who served as a senior broker at Aon Benfield in its composite global re specialty team, where she was responsible for the production and servicing of global non-marine retrocession business.

She then joined Canopius in 2017 and went on to hold a succession of senior roles at the carrier, including joint active underwriter, deputy CUO and latterly UK CEO.

While at Aon Benfield, Willmont would have crossed paths with several of her new colleagues, including Bermuda CEO Jonathan Davies and Bob Bisset, chairman, global retrocession and property specialty, Bermuda and market capital.

Commenting on the appointment, Bisset said: “Our global retrocessional capability continues to expand, reflecting our growing client base and their needs. Sarah is a fantastic addition to both the team and Lockton Re as a whole, as she shares our collaborative ethos and enthusiasm for putting clients first.”

He added: “Sarah’s experience within broking and underwriting, coupled with her executive network and personal credentials, make Sarah a highly accretive hire for Lockton Re.”

Lockton Re has made a number of new hires recently as it seeks to expand and lean into the opportunities currently presented in the market.

In June, the reinsurance arm of independent broker Lockton appointed Gregg Cunningham as senior broker and North American property facultative leader and Nephila Capital’s Chris Parish as market innovation leader.

Lockton Re confirmed the appointment.