The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers has appointed RenaissanceRe lawyer Stephen Weinstein as head of its policy committee.

Leila Madeiros, senior vice-president, deputy director and corporate secretary of Abir, said: “Steve has been a dedicated advocate for the Bermuda insurance market for a long time.

“Behind the scenes this has meant more than a decade in Abir, as a founding member of the Policy Committee, contributing to the legal and regulatory solutions that have supported our market,”

Mr Weinstein succeeds Malcolm Furbert, general counsel in Bermuda at XL Catlin.

Mr Furbert led the Policy Committee for five years and was involved in substantial policy and regulation work to help achieve the recognition of Bermuda under US and EU regulatory regimes.

Ms Madeiros said: “We are thankful to Malcolm for his leadership and for his thoughtful approach to public policy issues on behalf of the Abir membership. We are happy that he remains with Abir as a serving member.” The Policy Committee is the main policy body of Abir, with review of insurance regulation in Bermuda and overseas, international regulatory standards, public policy in Bermuda, and US natural disaster policy and insurance regulation.

Mr Weinstein is senior vice-president and group general counsel at RenaissanceRe Holdings with responsibility for group legal, regulatory, government affairs and compliance matters.

He is also chairman of RenaissanceRe Risk Sciences Foundation, the company’s non-profit research organisation which aims to boost risk-mitigation techniques and awareness.