Board Profiles

Our high quality Board, with its excellent credentials and strong track record, ensures we bring you the highest possible standard of service.

Glyn Jones

With effect from May 2, 2007, Mr. Jones was appointed as Chairman. Mr. Jones has been a director since October 30, 2006. He also has served as a non-executive director of Aspen U.K. since December 4, 2006. As of July 25, 2008, Mr. Jones has served as Chairman of Hermes Fund Managers. Mr. Jones is also the Chairman of Towry Law. Mr. Jones was most recently the Chief Executive Officer of Thames River Capital. From 2000 to 2004, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Gartmore Investment Management in the U.K. Prior to Gartmore, Mr. Jones was Chief Executive of Coutts NatWest Group and Coutts Group, which he joined in 1997, and was responsible for strategic leadership, business performance and risk management. In 1991 he joined Standard Chartered, later becoming the General Manager of Global Private Banking. Mr. Jones was a consulting partner with Coopers & Lybrand/Deloitte Haskins & Sells Management Consultants from 1981 to 1990.
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Chris O'Kane

Chris O'Kane is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited. He is also currently the Chief Executive Officer of Aspen U.K. and was Chairman of Aspen Bermuda until December 2006. The company was formed in 2002 and had its initial public offering in 2003, listing its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, ticker 'AHL'.
Prior to creating Aspen Chris was with Wellington Underwriting plc (now part of Catlin) from 1993 to 2002.  During his tenure at Wellington, Chris held a number of roles including serving as a director and Chief Underwriting Officer, and as an underwriting partner of Lloyd's Syndicate 2020.  Chris began his career in the insurance industry as a Lloyd's broker in 1979. Chris, a native of Ireland, lives in London with his wife and three children.  He is an avid skier and collector of contemporary art.
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Julian Cusack, Ph.D

Mr. Cusack has been our Chief Operating Officer since May 1, 2008, and has been a director since June 21, 2002. He has also been the Chief Executive Officer of Aspen Bermuda since 2002 and was appointed Chairman of Aspen Bermuda in December 2006. Previously Mr. Cusack was our Chief Financial Officer from June 21, 2002 to April 30, 2007. From 2002 until March 31, 2004, he was also Finance Director of Aspen U.K. Mr. Cusack previously worked with Wellington where he was Managing Director of Wellington Underwriting Agencies Ltd. ("WUAL") from 1992 to 1996, and in 1994 joined the Board of Directors of Wellington Underwriting Holdings Limited. He was Group Finance Director of Wellington Underwriting plc from 1996 to 2002. Mr. Cusack is also a director of Hardy Underwriting Bermuda Limited.
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John Cavoores

Mr.Cavoores has been a director since October 30, 2006. Mr.Cavoores is currently an advisor to Blackstone, previously one of our principal shareholders, advising on current portfolio investments and new opportunities. Mr.Cavoores has over 27 years of experience in the insurance industry and recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of OneBeacon Insurance Company, a subsidiary of the White Mountains Insurance Group, from 2003 to 2005. Mr. Cavoores currently serves as a director of Cyrus Reinsurance Holdings SPC and Alliant Insurance Holdings. Among his other positions, Mr.Cavoores was President of National Union Insurance Company, a subsidiary of American International Group (AIG). He spent 19 years at Chubb Insurance Group, where he served as Chief Underwriting Officer, and Executive Vice President and Managing Director of overseas operations, based in London.
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Ian Cormack

Mr. Cormack has been a director since September 22, 2003 and has served also as a non-executive director of Aspen U.K. since 2003. From 2000 to 2002, he was Chief Executive Officer of AIG Inc.'s insurance financial services and asset management in Europe. From 1997 to 2000, he was Chairman of Citibank International plc and Co-Head of the Global Financial Institutions Client Group at Citigroup. He was also Country Head of Citicorp in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 1996. Mr. Cormack is also a director on the boards of Pearl Assurance Group Ltd., Pearl Assurance, London Life Assurance, National Provident Assurance, Europe ArabBank plc and Qatar Financial Centre Authority. Mr. Cormack is also a non-executive chairman of Aberdeen Growth Opportunities Venture Capital Trust 2 plc and deputy Chairman of Qatar Insurance Platform. He also serves as chairman of Entertaining Finance Ltd., Bank Training and Development Ltd. and Carbon Reductions Ltd. He previously served as Chairman of CHAPS, the high value clearing system in the United Kingdom, as a member of the Board of Directors of Clearstream (Luxembourg) and as a member of Millennium Associates AG's Global Advisory Board. He was previously a non-executive director of MphasiS BFL Ltd. (India). He was a member of the U.K. Chancellor's City Advisory Panel from 1993 to 1998.
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Heidi Hutter

Ms. Hutter has been a director since June 21, 2002 and has served as a non-executive director of Aspen U.K. since June 2002. In February 2008 she also became a director of Aspen Managing Agency Limited. She has served as Chief Executive Officer of Black Diamond Group, LLC since 2001 and Manager of Black Diamond Capital Partners since 2005. Ms. Hutter has over twenty-six years of experience in property/casualty reinsurance. Ms. Hutter began her career in 1979 with Swiss Reinsurance Company in New York, where she specialized in the then new field of finite reinsurance. From 1993 to 1995, she was Project Director for the Equitas Project at Lloyd's of London, which became the largest run-off reinsurer in the world. From 1996 to 1999, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Swiss Re America and was a member of the Executive Board of Swiss Re in Zurich. Ms. Hutter also serves as a director of Amerilife Group Holdings LLC.
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David Kelso

Mr. Kelso has been a director since May 26, 2005. He was a founder, in 2003, of Kelso Advisory Services and currently serves as its Senior Financial Advisor. He also currently serves as a director of ExlService Holdings, Inc., Assurant Inc. and Sound Shore Fund Inc. From 2001 to 2003, Mr. Kelso was an Executive Vice President of Aetna, Inc. From 1996 to 2001, he was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of Chubb Corporation. From 1992 to 1996, he first served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and later served as the Executive Vice President, Retail and Small Business Banking, of First Commerce Corporation. From 1982 to 1992, he was a Partner and the Head of North American Banking Practice of Gemini Consulting Group.
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Richard Houghton

Mr. Houghton joined us as our Chief Financial Officer on April 30, 2007 and has been a director since May 2, 2007. He was previously at Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc ("RBS"), where he was Chief Operating Officer, RBS Insurance since 2005 responsible for driving operational efficiency across the finance, IT, risk, HR, claims and actuarial functions of this division. Previously, he was Group Finance Director RBS Insurance. Mr. Houghton was also Group Finance Director of Ulster Bank, another subsidiary of RBS. He began his professional career as an accountant at Deloitte & Touche where he spent 10 years working in audit, corporate finance recovery. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
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Matthew Botein

Mr. Botein has been a director since July 25, 2007. Mr. Botein joined Highfields Capital Management, a Boston-based investment management firm in 2003 and has been a Managing Director since January 1, 2006 and member of its Management Committee since January 1, 2007. Prior to joining Highfields, he was a Principal in the private equity department of The Blackstone Group from March 2000 to March 2003. He currently serves on the Boards of Cyrus Reinsurance Holdings Limited and Cyrus Reinsurance Holdings II Limited, ''sidecars'' Highfields formed with XL Capital (as well as their operating subsidiaries), and Integro Limited, an insurance broker, and previously was a member of our Board from our formation until 2003.
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Richard Bucknall

Mr. Bucknall has been a director since July 25, 2007 and a director of Aspen U.K. since January 14, 2008. In February 2008 he also became a director of Aspen Managing Agency Limited. Mr. Bucknall recently retired from Willis Group Holdings Limited where he was Vice Chairman from February 2004 to March 2007 and Group Chief Operating Officer from January 2001 to December 2006, where he was responsible for leading the development of Willis' international network and played a crucial role in various strategic acquisitions. He was also previously Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Willis Limited from May 1999 to March 2007. Mr. Bucknall is currently a non-executive director of FIM Services Limited and Kron AS. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute.
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Liaquat Ahamed

Mr. Ahamed has been a director since October 31, 2007. Mr. Ahamed has a background in investment management with leadership roles that include heading the World Bank's investment division. From 2004, Mr. Ahamed has been an adviser to the Rock Creek Group, an investment firm based in Washington D.C. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Ahamed was the Chief Executive Officer of Fischer Francis Trees & Watts, Inc., a subsidiary of BNP Paribas specializing in institutional single and multi-currency fixed income investment portfolios. Mr. Ahamed is a Board member of the Rohatyn Group, and a member of the Board of Trustees at the Brookings Institution.
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Peter O'Flinn

Mr. O'Flinn has been a director since April 29, 2009. Mr. O'Flinn is the former co-chairman of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae LLP, a global law firm and the predecessor of Dewey & LeBoeuf. As a legal professional with over 25 years of experience, Mr. O'Flinn has worked with and counseled many of those who have impacted the growth and transformation of the insurance industry, including company managements, state and federal regulators, investment banks, accountants, actuaries, private equity firms and rating agencies, both in the United States and internationally. Mr. O'Flinn is currently on the Board of Directors and Audit Committees of Euler ACI Holdings, Inc. (the U.S. subsidiary of Euler Hermes) and Sun Life Insurance and Annuity Company of New York (a subsidiary of Sun Life of Canada).