Optio Group appoints Gary Head as Chief Underwriting Officer

Optio Group, a specialty MGA, has appointed Gary Head as Chief Underwriting Officer, effective immediately.

Head joins from AXA, where he led the Schemes & Delegated Authority, Financial Lines, and Specialty teams after joining in early 2020.

Before that, he spent 22 years at Hiscox, holding various senior roles, including six years as CUO of Hiscox UK and three years as CUO of Hiscox USA.

His appointment marks the latest in a series of senior hires at Optio, following the additions of Insi Davenport as Group Chief Risk Officer, Marc Van der Veer as Managing Director for Europe, and Joanna Eilts as Head of Legal in late 2024.

Matthew Fosh, Executive Chairman, Optio Group, said: “I am delighted to announce Gary’s appointment as the new CUO of Optio. Throughout his decades-long career, Gary has excelled in senior roles in major carriers. We believe he is poised to drive innovation and excellence within our organisation and are very fortunate to have him on board.”

Deepak Soni, Group Chief Executive Officer, Optio Group, commented: “Since my arrival at Optio I’ve been consistently impressed by the high calibre of talent across the teams, so am thrilled to welcome Gary as our new chief underwriting officer. Gary’s proven leadership skills, insight and expertise will be of great value to our business, further enabling us to deliver outstanding products and services that empower our customers to succeed.”

Head added: “I am very excited to join Optio and in a role where I think that I can really add value to their Underwriting teams. Optio’s expansion into new markets and profitable specialties has been highly impressive, with the platform that Deepak and the senior team are building boasting huge potential. I very much look forward to working with them to help realise that potential.”

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