Lloyd’s of London prepares for Brexit with new European team

Lloyd’s of London has appointed a team to head up its Brussels hub as the insurance giant seeks to insure itself against Brexit.

Sonja Rottiers takes over as chief executive of newly formed Lloyd’s Brussels. She will be joined on the board by new chairman Michel Flamée, a former board member of the National Bank of Belgium, and Christian Noyer, the honorary government of the Bank of France.

Rottiers has a 30 year career in Belgian financial services, most recently as chief financial officer of AXA Belgium.

The firm will also bring in Delphine Marchessaux as chief underwriting officer from Axa Corporate Solutions in France.

Work on the Brussels hub, which is a fully fledged insurance company in its own right, started the day after Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016.

The office, which is licenced by Belgian authorities, employs 50 people and runs the insurer’s 19 branches across the European Economic Area which have a further 50 staff.

It was set up to ensure that Lloyd’s of London was ready for whatever Brexit the UK government was able to negotiate. The hub launched in November.

Lloyd’s chief executive John Neal said: “I am delighted to welcome Sonja to Lloyd’s. Her wealth of experience across the financial services industry and in leading companies ensures she is well positioned to drive our business forward in Europe.

“Lloyd’s Brussels marks a major milestone for Lloyd’s. Now that it is already placing and processing European business, Sonja will focus on ensuring that it is also well positioned to grow as a customer-focused European insurance company.”