Nick Jefferson
Trade Credit Leader
Marsh

In August 2007, Nick Jefferson joined Marsh Insco (Dubai) as the Trade Credit Leader where he is responsible for local servicing of clients in the Middle East and surrounding area.

Prior to joining Marsh he worked for QBE Trade Credit for three years as a credit risk underwriter, based in Melbourne, Australia.

He has also worked for one of Australia’s largest bank’s as an assistant manager in their portfolio management division.

Dr Omar Clark Fisher
PHd Takaful

Dr Fisher has more than 20 years’ international finance and business development experience, with focus on Islamic finance, leasing, investment guarantees and takaful. Most recently he was principal at KHIDR SOLUTIONS (Manama, Bahrain) providing advisory services to Islamic and other companies requiring strategic planning, marketing, leadership training and business development expertise on a consultancy basis.

Assignments include: a planning seminar to a founders’ group of a new takaful business in the UAE to describe industry trends, strategic direction and potential for innovative products, as well as a training three-day seminar for executives in Kuala Lumpur and Dubai including case studies of operations and governance issues facing takaful operators.

Fisher is a senior member of founding management at Unicorn Investment Bank (Bahrain) as a premier Islamic investment bank in Bahrain/GCC.

Peter Boberg
Country manager
Al Mulla Atradius Insurance

Peter Boberg is country manager for Al Mulla Atradius Insurance Consultancy and Brokerage LLC, a joint venture between Al Mulla Business Group and Atradius NV in the UAE.

Peter Boberg has extensive experience with close to 20 years in the credit insurance field working for Atradius, comprising credit underwriting, key account management and new business development.

Boberg was involved in the set up of Atradius trade credit insurance activities in Sweden and the Baltic countries. His most recent role was as head of business development in that region.

Boberg holds a post graduate degree from London University in credit and surety and a degree in economics from Stockholm University.

Peter White
Deputy general manager
March Insco LLC

Peter is deputy general manager and joint UAE country leader of Marsh Insco LLC, a director of the British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates and chairman of the BBG Insurance Focus Group.

Peter is a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute London, a Chartered Insurance Broker and a member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of South Africa.

Peter has worked in the UK, the Caribbean and Africa and has lived and worked in Dubai since 1994.

Thomas Alexander
Director, Non-marine and hull division
Nasco ME Insurance Brokers

Thomas Alexander joined Nasco Group in 1996 and is currently the director of non-marine & hull division. Nasco Group, headquartered in Paris, is a major insurance and reinsurance provider in the Middle East and North Africa for more than 50 years. Thomas has more than 25 years' experience in insurance and reinsurance in diverse fields including energy, hull, liabilities, financial lines and specialty lines.

Prior to joining Nasco he was heading one of the largest offices of United India Insurance Company and was based in Delhi.

He is an honours graduate from Delhi University and also holds ACII (Chartered Insurance Practitioner) and FIII qualifications.

David Venediger
Managing director
Coface Emirates Services

David Venediger is managing director for Coface Emirates Services (CEMS), the Coface entity based in Dubai, representing the region. His career has spanned several different sectors, including software development, healthcare, food distribution and luxury goods.

Prior to moving to the UAE in early 2007, he was based in Paris as senior development manager for the Coface regional platform Africa, Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, responsible for developing the platform strategy.

Before moving to Paris, he was director of strategic accounts with Coface North America and, prior to 2001, was senior development manager with Coface UK.

Dr Annie Shaikh
Family medicine – specialist family medicine
Dubai Mall Medical Center

Dr Annie Shaikh graduated from King Edward Medical College, Pakistan, in 1997; obtained her membership from the Royal College of General Practitioners, England, and was awarded the diploma in faculty of family planning, England, in 2006. She has worked in the United Kingdom National Health Service since 1999 and all of her post-graduate training has been in the UK. Until recently, Dr Shaikh worked as a primary care physician at Porter Brook Medical Centre, Sheffield.

Her experience and expertise involves seeing patients of all ages ie from the newborn to the very elderly. She deals with all aspects of their physical and mental health, treats acute medical problems, follows up chronic diseases, gives advice on disease prevention and organises referrals to other specialties as and when necessary.

Dr Heather Eade
Naturopathic medicine practitioner
Dubai Mall Medical Center

Dr Heather Eade completed her BSc(honors) in life sciences at Queen’s University, Canada in 1999, where she minored in neuroscience. In 2005, after a few years abroad, she completed her four-year doctorate degree in naturopathic medicine at the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine in Vancouver, Canada. Upon graduation she was awarded the John Cosgrove Award for Excellence in Clinical Skills. She achieved licensure in Canada as a primary care physician at that time and has been working both in private outpatient care and as an inpatient consultant since then. She has also achieved certification in acupuncture, colon hydrotherapy, craniosacral therapy, intravenous, and chelation therapy. Her primary clinical modalities include acupuncture, clinical nutrition, botanical medicine and colon hydrotherapy.

Isabelle Hebert
Head of marketing and communication
Atna Global Benefits, Middle East and Africa

Isabelle Hebert is head of marketing and communication for Aetna Global Benefits (AGB) Middle East and Africa with oversight on both AGB expatriate business and global health management initiatives in the region.

Ms Hebert joined Aetna in 2005 in the Strategic Marketing Group, focusing on product and marketing initiatives related to behavioral health, medical and medical management products. She joined Aetna Enterprise Strategy group in 2006, supporting strategic initiatives for the Aetna Board of Directors, Aetna CEO and senior management team. Ms Hebert joined Aetna Global Benefits in 2007.

Prior to joining Aetna, Ms Hebert served in CIGNA International's Marketing and Strategy Group, focusing on European and South American markets together with the expatriate global market.

James Portelli
Executive vice president – head of risk
Oman Insurance Co PSC

James Portelli is a fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute (Chartered Insurance Practitioner), a fellow of the Institute of Risk Management and a senior member of the Malta Insurance Institute.

He started his career with Middlesea Insurance plc in Malta in 1990 and moved to the Middle East in 1998 working in underwriting including outward reinsurance, business and product development, training, consulting, insurance management services and enterprise risk management in Europe and the GCC region.

James currently heads ERM at Oman Insurance Co PSC (an interactively 'A' rated insurer), acts as a regional coordinator for the IRM Middle East Network on behalf of the UK Institute of Risk Management and regularly contributes to regional insurance and risk management publications, seminars and training events.

Mark Jardin
Senior executive officer and managing director
Aetna Global Benefits & Aetna Health Services (Middle East)

Mark Jardin is senior executive officer and managing director for Aetna Global Benefits and Aetna Health Services (Middle East). Mark is leading both Aetna's Health Management Services as well as Aetna's expatriate insurance business in the Middle East and Africa. Prior to this, Mark was chief operating officer for Aetna Global Benefits and board member of Aetna Life and Casualty, Bermuda. As COO, Jardin was responsible for AGB's day-to-day operations, which encompasses customer and member operations, plan sponsor services, provider relations medical management services and information technology. Jardin was also responsible for AGB’s Global Benefits Schemes business, which targets non-US multinational corporations' expatriate workers for health insurance benefits, as well as passport to Healthcare®, AGB's US cost containment business.

Alexander Blom
Financial lines manager (Middle East)
Chartis MEMSA

Alexander Blom joined Chartis MEMSA in Dubai in January 2010 as the financial lines manager for the Middle East. The financial lines unit underwrites risks in relation to D&O, professional indemnity (PI) and Bankers Blanket Bond (BBB).

Previously, Blom worked as an insurance broker for Marsh for over 11 years in Dubai, the London market and the Netherlands. After graduating from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam with a Master in Economics, Blom started his career in 1998 at Marsh as a management trainee in the Netherlands. Since then he has worked at various divisions and cities within the Marsh organization, including: construction, credit and political risks, private equity, M&A practice, and FINPRO (Financial and Professional exposures).

Karl Gray
Director of personal lines
RSA Middle East

Karl is responsible for leading RSA's Personal Lines business across the Middle East region.

He joined RSA at the end of 2006 to develop their personal lines business; setting up an integrated business area that brings together pricing, marketing and operations.

Formally head of personal lines for AXA (Gulf) and Norwich Union (Gulf), Karl originally undertook his management training with Aviva (UK). Karl has extensive experience of management within the insurance sector both in the Gulf region and the UK.

Karl is a masters graduate of the University of Sheffield (UK) in political economy and holds diploma's in management and business studies. Karl has been in Dubai for the past seven years and worked for RSA for nearly four years.

Lisa Kelaart Courtney
Technical Advisor
CCL Limited

As a senior member of the MENA regional office of CCL Limited, Lisa Kelaart- Courtney provides proactive compliance solutions to the financial services industry.

Before joining CCL, Lisa was associate director of supervision with the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), responsible for banking and insurance entities, intermediaries and managers. She was also involved in creating the DFSA insurance and other industry rules, was its representative to the International Association for Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) and actively contributed to drafting IAIS standards and guidance.

Prior to this, Lisa was Director of financial services with Standard & Poor's rating agency, based in the regional SE Asian office. Lisa holds a Masters of Law, MBA (finance and insurance) and post-graduate degrees in business, general insurance and financial services.

Mohammed Iqbal Mankani
Chief Operating Officer
Dubai Islamic Insurance &
Reinsurance Co (AMAN)

Mohammed Iqbal Mankani is an insurance industry veteran of almost 40 years; 32 of which have been spent in Dubai where he is currently based as a chief operating officer of Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Co (Aman). He has particular expertise in property and engineering takaful.

Previously, Mankani was the deputy general manager of Alliance Insurance Co in Dubai, where he worked for 27 years before joining Aman. He was instrumental in building up the infrastructure of the company and set up the team responsible to run it.

Rumi Sanjana
Director – General Insurance
Nexus

Rumi M Sanjana recently joined Nexus as director of general insurance, which currently comprises about 15 per cent of the company's overall business.

Sanjana was previously general manager of Al Futtaim Willis Faber and Tokio Marine.

Sanjana, former CEO of VIG International Insurance Group where he spent seven years, is a veteran of the GCC insurance sector, with 32 years of experience in the UAE's insurance industry, which included a stint on the non marine committee of the Emirates Insurance Association.

Alexis de Beauregard
Chief marketing officer
Axa Insurance

Anil Berry
Country CEO
Euler Hermes GCC

David Youssef
Managing director
DTY Associates

Dr Michael Bitzer
CEO
National Health Insurance
Company – Daman

Dr Mohammed Al Otaibey
Risk management specialist
Dubai Customs

Elias S. Fakhoury
Group vice president and chief strategy and distribution officer
MEDGULF Group

Jonathan J. Abela
Assistant general manager
– General Insurance
Bahrain National Insurance

Michael Gertsch
Chief underwriting officer
Gulf re

Murtadha M Jawad
Ibrahim Al Jamalani
Deputy chairman of the
insurance committee
Oman Chamber of
Commerce & Industry

Mustafa O Vazayil
Managing director
Gargash Insurance
Services LLC

Nick Jefferson
Trade Credit Leader
Marsh

Dr Omar Clark Fisher
PHd Takaful

Peter Boberg
Country manager
Al Mulla Atradius Insurance

Peter White
Deputy general manager
March Insco LLC

Thomas Alexander
Director, Non-marine
and hull division
Nasco ME Insurance Brokers

David Venediger
Managing director
Coface Emirates Services

Dr Annie Shaikh
Family medicine – specialist family medicine
Dubai Mall Medical Center

Dr Heather Eade
Naturopathic medicine
practitioner
Dubai Mall Medical Center

Isabelle Hebert
Head of marketing and
communication
Atna Global Benefits,
Middle East and Africa

James Portelli
Executive vice president
– head of risk
Oman Insurance Co PSC

Mark Jardin
Senior executive officer
and managing director
Aetna Global Benefits & Aetna Health Services (Middle East)

Alexander Blom
Financial lines manager
(Middle East)
Chartis MEMSA

Karl Gray
Director of personal lines
RSA Middle East

Lisa Kelaart Courtney
Technical Advisor
CCL Limited

Mohammed Iqbal Mankani
Chief Operating Officer
Dubai Islamic Insurance &
Reinsurance Co (AMAN)

Rumi Sanjana
Director – General Insurance
Nexus