Accomplished executives add experience and depth to multiple aspects of complex financial, reinsurance and related operations
NEW YORK, April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mr. Jamie Sahara, President, Applied Underwriters, has announced leadership appointments to continue to spur the growth of its United Risk group. Mr. Alex Amezquita has been named CFO of United Risk, succeeding Jay Cahill who has been appointed to head United Risk's newly formed reinsurance division as its CEO. The appointments, effective immediately, will find Mr. Amezquita as CFO managing the financial operations of United Risk's many divisions in key insurance, surety, and other specialty areas; Mr. Cahill, in turn, will commence the organization of the new multi-line reinsurance MGA and be set to serve brokers, cedents and other clients in property, casualty, cyber, and credit risk areas underwriting select placements for June, July and October 2025 renewals while establishing fully operational offices in New York, London and Bermuda for January 1, 2026 placements, according to Mr. Sahara.
"These key appointments underline the direction United Risk is taking as our dramatic growth across and within the various sectors we underwrite rapidly continues. We assemble top professional talent, and then we encourage them to lead in the specific area in which their considerable experience, accomplishment, and market intelligence lies," according to Mr. Sahara, who added: "In Alex Amezquita we have a dynamic, driven financial leader with the serious hands-on experience of running complex businesses, from M&A to managing a global public company. In that same vein, Jay Cahill brings a lot of additional energy to our underwriting team, adding substantially to the combined power of the existing 28 thriving programs. United Risk's program leaders have driven growth and adapted to actual market changes and challenges quickly and creatively. As the reinsurance market hardens, like our continuing and successful E&S strategy, when it makes sense, we will focus on offering reinsurance rather than insurance. This is a plan that Jay Cahill is uniquely qualified to execute."
Mr. Amezquita stated: "This is an important opportunity allowing me to engage all of my experience and skills in an organization with strong and disciplined fundamentals that is building ambitiously upon a firm foundation. The future of United Risk is extremely promising, and I am pleased to join the team that will realize it."
Mr. Cahill noted his personal passion for structuring reinsurance transactions for the benefit of brokers and their clients: "The hard reinsurance market poses challenges together with great opportunities for those with the right resources and a staff with ease and facility in deploying them. This will be the advantage our growing of the United Risk team will deliver."
Alex Amezquita joins United Risk as CFO having served as CFO of Herbalife; as Senior Vice President at Moelis & Company, a global investment bank; and as a Principal, Centerview Partners, a boutique investment bank.
Jay Cahill, formerly CFO at United Risk, has been named CEO of United Risk's newly formed multi-line reinsurance MGA. Prior to joining United Risk, Mr. Cahill served as Managing Director, Awbury, from 2021 to 2024, responsible for ceded reinsurance and third-party capital, specialty, professional lines, property retro underwriting and new business development. Prior to that he was global head of credit and financial lines at RenaissanceRe.
About United Risk Global (www.unitedrisk.global)
United Risk Global is an international property and casualty insurance underwriting and distribution platform independently owned and operated by its practice partners and affiliated with Applied Underwriters operationally and through its common and powerful brand identity. United Risk's home office is located at 50 Rockefeller Plaza in New York.
About Applied Underwriters (www.auw.com)
Applied Underwriters® is a global risk services firm that helps businesses and people manage uncertainty through its business services, insurance and reinsurance solutions. As a company, Applied Underwriters has been distinguished by its innovative approaches to client care and by its strong financial strength. Applied Underwriters operates widely throughout the US, UK, EU and Middle East. Its operational headquarters is located in Omaha, Nebraska.
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