Gallagher continues investment in Middle East & Africa with Chief Client Officer appointment

Gallagher has appointed Hassan Ashtari as Chief Client Officer for its Middle East and Africa specialty and facultative reinsurance operations. This newly created role reflects Gallagher's commitment to enhancing its client offering and strengthening its presence in the region.

In his new position, Hassan will focus on elevating the client experience and establishing a multi-class servicing team to manage complex (re)insurance programmes for clients with advanced risk management needs. Additionally, he will be responsible for overseeing the build-out of risk advisory, claims advocacy and market management, further deepening Gallagher's capabilities in the Middle East & Africa. He will work across all of Gallagher's specialty industry lines in the region including energy; power & construction; marine; financial lines and M&A; special risks & crisis management; heavy industry, mining & complex property and aerospace.

Hassan brings two decades of experience and a proven track record of designing and delivering local, regional and international (re)insurance programmes for multinational entities across various industry sectors in the Middle East. He joins Gallagher from Marsh, where he has worked since 2010. Most recently, Hassan served as Chief Client Officer for Marsh's power division based in the DIFC. Before that, he was Risk Management Practice Leader for Marsh's team in Abu Dhabi.

He joins Gallagher in January and will report to SEO of the Middle East & Africa, Nadim Semaan.

Commenting on the appointment, Nadim, said: "Hassan's appointment is a strategic hire for us, and we are delighted to welcome him to our team. Our business has experienced significant growth over the past year and Hassan's experience aligns perfectly with our expanding base of large, multinational clients with complex insurance & risk management needs. His experience in developing bespoke programmes across diverse industries will strengthen our capabilities and complement the skills and expertise of our over 75 (re)insurance and risk management professionals operating in the region."

Hassan added: "I am excited to join Nadim and the team to support clients across the Middle East & Africa in managing their risk and insurance programmes. Gallagher's focus on providing clients with bespoke solutions and leveraging first-rate technical knowledge underscores its client centric approach. With Gallagher's impressive growth in the region, I see significant opportunities to further expand and deliver exceptional value to clients."