Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East, part of MNK Group and a sister concern of Specialty MGA UK, has announced the appointment of two new senior underwriters as it strengthens its team in Casablanca.

Laila El Bahtouri has been appointed as the new Treaty Senior Underwriter, while Mohamed Bader Bouanani has been named as Senior Underwriter for Specialty Lines. Both will be in charge of the Africa and Middle East regions.

Laila El Bahtouri, based in the MGA’s Casablanca office, is an Actuary Fellow of the French Institute of Actuaries with 19 years of experience, including 14 years in the reinsurance business. She will drive Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East’s growth in P&C reinsurance markets, developing a balanced portfolio of specialist lines as she prioritises meeting client objectives.

Most recently, she worked at Moroccan National reinsurer SCR, spending five years as Executive Head of Domestic and African P&C Treaties. In this role she developed a deep understanding of the Moroccan and African markets. Before that, she worked more than eight years at SCOR Paris, where she occupied many positions, including Pricing Manager for the Middle East.

Mohamed Bader Bouanani will be responsible for driving Specialty MGA’s growth in specialty lines of business, and expanding its market presence in Africa and the Middle East. He holds an MBA from Texas Tech University in the US, and is an experienced underwriting professional, with a proven track record of more than 15 years in the reinsurance industry. He has held various leadership roles, most recently as Head of Specialty Lines at SCR.

Laila El Bahtouri, Treaty Senior Underwriter at Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East, said:

“African markets are ready for entrants that can provide new ideas, and Specialty MGA’s combination of local knowledge with international reach and expertise means it is in a great position to fill that gap. Our flexibility means that we can find quickly solutions that meet clients’ expectations.”

“The team is building an agile MGA that can respond rapidly to clients’ needs, and I’m excited to help them create new products and grow market share.”

Mohamed Bader Bouanani, Senior Underwriter for Specialty Lines at Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East, said:

“Specialty MGA is building a very strong team in Africa and the Middle East, and I’m excited to be able to work with the group and our clients to close the region’s coverage gap in specialty insurance.”

“As markets, Africa and the Middle East are increasingly dynamic and fast growing, meaning that there is plenty of opportunity for those that can transcend traditional boundaries.”

Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East was launched by CEO Youssef Fassi Fihri in September last year. Headquartered in London, it acts as a bridge between local markets and the London Market, offering specific solutions for the African and Middle Eastern markets.

Youssef Fassi Fihri, CEO at Specialty MGA Africa & Middle East, said:

“Laila and Mohamed are excellent additions to our team in Casablanca, and these appointments will further enhance our ability to offer brokers access to outstanding underwriting professionals. They have significant experience not just in the Moroccan market, but in insurance markets across Africa and the Middle East, and will play an important role as we expand our presence in the region.”

Manoj Kumar, MNK Group Chairman, said:

“MNK Group’s strength is that we are a diverse set of businesses that combine both international reach and regional expertise. Youssef is building an exciting team in Casablanca, which can provide market-leading solutions that unlock capacity in emerging markets.”

MNK Group has entered a new phase of growth with the launch of its unified brand, which integrates its broking, MGA, and risk-taking entities to ensure a consistent customer experience. The new group website (groupmnk.com) connects all underlying entities across the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East.

The Group’s specialist brands include MNK International, a Lloyd’s broker formerly known as MNK Re, which provides reinsurance support to clients in over 130 countries from multiple global offices. The new brand also encompasses Specialty MGA, a network of MGAs with offices in London, Milan, Casablanca, and Texas, offering capacity for specialty lines of business and hard-to-place risks.

MNK Seguros, an insurer based in San Jose, Costa Rica, along with Mekong Re, a facultative and treaty reinsurance company in Labuan, Malaysia, and Florida Re, a property and casualty insurance and reinsurance company in Florida, also form part of the Group. With businesses in fast-growing and dynamic markets worldwide, the new brand represents the next step in consolidating MNK Group’s growth, with numerous innovative products in the pipeline to support their global clients.

MNK Group plans to continue its growth through organic means as well as through mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Several M&A deals involving broking and insurance carriers are in the pipeline and will be announced soon.

Commenting on the new brand, Chairman of MNK Group, Manoj Kumar, said: “The launch of our new brand represents MNK Group’s rapid growth in recent years, providing a breadth of services to clients across all sectors.

“As we move forward together, our businesses are unified in terms of quality of service and in providing tailored and innovative solutions to meet the unique needs of every client, agent, broker, or underwriter. With our businesses based across the globe, our new brand represents our global vision and our desire to expand further.”

“This year, more businesses are set to be launched under the MNK family as we continue to navigate evolving markets and grow our presence worldwide.”

The brand will be launched at MNK Group’s annual industry event at The Sky Garden on Thursday, April 3rd.

Specialty MGA UK has hired Amir Hussain as Head of Political and Credit Risk, as it opens a new business line and looks to become a key player in the political risk market.

Hussain has worked as a credit analyst at Barclays, as well as underwriting for Lloyd’s syndicates including Brit and Hamilton. He specialises in political risk, contract frustration and credit risk, and has experience of building from scratch and managing a global book of business.

Initially, he will be focused on reaching out to the market and underwriting a sound book of business. However, over time Hussain and Specialty MGA UK will look to grow the team and increase the capacity they bring to the market.

Welcoming him to the team, MNK Group Chairman Manoj Kumar said:

“Amir’s background of rapidly developing business in international political risk means he is a fantastic addition to the team. Now is the right time for us to enter the market, given that there are global opportunities as demand for cover continues to rise.”

Amir Hussain, Head of Political and Credit Risk at Speciality MGA UK, said:

“Building a new line of business requires entrepreneurialism, energy and dedication and I have always enjoyed the challenge it presents. I’m excited to work with Manoj and the rest of the team, as this is a great opportunity to bring new capacity to the market and make political risk a significant part of Specialty MGA’s offering.”