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Africa Specialty Risks appoints Sylvain Coutu as head of innovation and sustainability
Africa Specialty Risks (ASR), a developing markets-focused (re)insurance group, has appointed Sylvain Coutu as head of innovation and sustainability.
In his new role, Sylvain will lead ASR’s parametric offering, overseeing underwriting, business development, and portfolio management.
He will also focus on product development and expanding the company’s market presence to enhance its suite of sustainable parametric products in growth markets.
ASR specialises in providing (re)insurance solutions tailored for high-growth regions, focusing on Africa, the Middle East, and other emerging markets. The firm aims to support economic resilience by offering innovative risk transfer products designed to address challenges unique to these regions.
Coutu brings over a decade of experience in the insurance sector. He joins ASR from AXA Climate, where he was head of agricultural insurance, responsible for developing financial risk solutions for agriculture, forestry, and other natural assets. Prior to this, he worked at Swiss Re, serving as a senior agriculture underwriter before advancing to head of innovation and special lines.
Earlier this month, ASR reinforced its parametric division with the appointment of Fanny Dunner as underwriter. Based in London, Fanny will report to Sylvain and joins from Generali, where she held a similar role.
ASR’s parametric portfolio has gained traction across Africa, particularly following the December 2024 Mozambique cyclone, where the firm provided critical financial support to numerous small-business owners in the agricultural sector.
ASR director of underwriting Martin Boreman said: “Sylvain’s appointment underscores ASR’s commitment to enabling sustainable development across Africa, the Middle East and other growth markets. His experience in building and deploying sustainable and technology-based insurance solutions will be instrumental in supporting our efforts to build resilience across our key markets.”
“I’m also pleased to welcome Fanny to ASR. She is a seasoned parametric underwriter and will continue to position us as the leading specialty underwriting firm in developing markets.”
Sylvain Coutu said: “I am very happy to be joining ASR at such an exciting stage in its journey. I look forward to working with the team to deploy solutions which will build more resilient and sustainable communities throughout Africa and the developing world.”
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February 13, 2025 at 01:04PM
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