Kevin O’Donnell To Speak At ILS Convergence
ILS [Bermuda] Ltd., organisers of Bermuda Convergence 2019, today [June 24] announced that Kevin O’Donnell, President and CEO of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., will be the event’s industry keynote speaker on Thursday, October 10th.
Mr. O’Donnell has served as Chief Executive Officer of RenaissanceRe since July, 2013 and as President since November, 2012. He is responsible for the oversight and management of the Company’s reinsurance and insurance businesses.
Prior to becoming President of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., Mr. O’Donnell served as Executive Vice President and Global Chief Underwriter from 2010. He acted as President of Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd. from 2005, overseeing the Company’s reinsurance lines, including Property and Casualty & Specialty reinsurance, as well as its joint ventures.
Mr. O’Donnell has served as Chief Underwriting Officer for the Company’s key joint ventures, Top Layer Re and DaVinci Re. In 2009, he directed the launch of RenaissanceRe Syndicate 1458 at Lloyd’s. Mr. O’Donnell has been with the Company since 1996, when he joined to lead the International Underwriting and Ceded Reinsurance businesses.
Prior to joining RenaissanceRe, Mr. O’Donnell was a Vice President of Centre Financial Products, Ltd., and an underwriter at SCOR.
In January 2017, Mr. O’Donnell was appointed as Vice-Chair of the Global Reinsurance Forum, subsequently assuming the role of Chair in June, 2018. In 2017 and 2018, he served as Chairman of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers [ABIR]. Mr. O’Donnell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Hamilton College and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Various topics related to investing in ILS and the state of the market featuring senior executives from the ILS community will follow Mr. O’Donnell’s keynote presentation.
Kathleen Faries, ILS Bermuda Chair, said: “On behalf of ILS Bermuda, I am very pleased to announce that well known industry veteran Kevin O’Donnell will give this year’s industry keynote address. He is a well-known leader in the reinsurance arena and his insight into the rapidly changing world of risk transfer are always welcomed by our industry.
“What’s clear is that entities across the world are increasingly looking to reinsurance and ILS to mitigate risks associated with natural catastrophes and climate risk and Bermuda’s companies are at the forefront of this new paradigm. We are delighted to welcome Kevin and look forward to hearing his views on the market.”
More than 300 delegates are expected to attend the seventh annual Convergence event to be held at the Hamilton Princess Hotel on October 9th to 11th. The event continues to grow and attract delegates from more than a dozen countries to network at a unique event covering the alternative reinsurance, insurance linked securities [ILS] and collateralised reinsurance landscape.
This year’s event promises an exciting line-up of speakers and ‘Bermuda Shorts’ topics including: Climate: Perspectives from Science; Climate: Perspectives from Industry; Investing in ILS; The State of the Market and Emerging Opportunities.
Tim Tetlow, Deputy Chair and spokesperson for ILS Bermuda’s Thought Leadership and Education team said: “I echo Kathleen’s excitement at Kevin O’Donnell giving our Industry Keynote speech. Kevin and RenaissanceRe have been at the forefront in developments in catastrophe risk transfer practices for over two decades and have recently enhanced their global reinsurance leadership with the acquisition of Tokio Millennium Re. I look forward to hearing Kevin’s perspective on the industry and its future.”
