Insurtech AkinovA hires Gilpin as Group Chief Operating Officer

AkinovA, the technology-led re/insurance platform focused on expanding access to underwriting capital for large corporate risks, including via capital markets participation, has appointed Matthew Gilpin as Group Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Gilpin, who joined the firm at the beginning of May, brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience across regulated financial services, capital formation, governance and multi-jurisdictional platform development.

Gilpin reportedly joins AkinovA as the company begins to move into its next phase of growth, which comes as it continues to expand its platform and technology infrastructure in order to support new underwriting capital for complex, high-value corporate risks.

As Group COO, Gilpin will reportedly spearhead the operational build-out required to support AkinovA’s next phase of growth, which includes governance, cross-jurisdictional operating structures, institutional readiness and execution discipline across the firm’s London and Bermuda activities.

AkinovA also confirmed that Gilpin will help support the build-out of its Managing General Underwriting capabilities, technology-enabled underwriting workflows, corporate data infrastructure and capital-partner operating model.

Gilpin, who is a qualified UK barrister in the UK with a focus on financial regulation, previously held the positions of COO and General Counsel at Lodge Quai Group. In that role, he spearheaded a substantial institutional enhancement, established governance and risk management frameworks, and played a key role in obtaining considerable capital support from insurance firms and sovereign wealth funds.

As well as this, Gilpin has also founded and scaled innovative investment and risk-transfer structures, including the Netherlands Protected Cell Cooperative. The executive also co-founded AI and quantum computing ventures with applications in marine risk, fintech and Insurtech across the UK and Asia.

Dr Henri Winand, CEO and Co-Founder of AkinovA, commented: “Matthew brings the exact combination AkinovA now needs: operational discipline, institutional capital expertise, additional regulated financial services experience, and the ability to build robust structures across jurisdictions.”

He continued: “AkinovA is addressing a structural capacity problem for large corporates. Many of the world’s largest companies retain more risk because traditional insurance and reinsurance structures do not always provide sufficient, efficient or durable capacity for the risks they now face. Our focus is to create new underwriting capital for high-quality corporate risks, supported by better data, better analytics and a more direct risk-to-capital pathway.

“As we move from platform development into scaled execution, Matthew’s experience in governance, capital formation and institutional-grade operating models will be central to how we deliver for corporate members, reinsurers, brokers and capital partners.”

Gilpin, also commented: “AkinovA is addressing one of the most important problems in the global risk market: how large corporates and underwriting capital can connect more efficiently around complex, high-value risk.

“The opportunity is not simply to digitise an existing process. It is to build a regulated, technology-enabled operating model that improves underwriting information, supports better capital allocation and helps create new capacity for corporate risk. I am pleased to join AkinovA at this stage and to support the Group’s transition into scaled execution.”