The Bermuda International Long Term Insurers and Reinsurers organisation has appointed Suzanne Williams-Charles to the newly created position of chief executive.

The organisation also named David Altmaier as executive adviser.

He succeeds former finance minister Curtis Dickinson, who is stepping down from the role but will continue to assist Biltir on an ad hoc basis.

Ms Williams-Charles, who will join Biltir in April, has more than 25 years of experience in the insurance sector, including 15 years with a regulatory focus.

Her most recent role was director of policy and regulation, corporate secretary and data privacy officer at the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers, leading Abir’s Bermuda office and responsible for leading its public outreach agenda.

Prior to joining Abir, Ms Williams-Charles served as the deputy director of insurance supervision at the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

In this role, she directed both group and solo entity-level supervision, undertaking risk-based supervision of all commercial regulated entities in the insurance sector, Biltir said.

Ms Williams-Charles also represented the BMA at working groups of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.

Biltir said the present executive director, Christine Patton, will assist the organisation with the leadership transition before stepping down in April.

As CEO, the organisation said, Ms Williams-Charles will lead Biltir through its local and global advocacy initiatives for the long-term sector.

She said: “I am delighted to take up the new position as CEO of Biltir. The industry is at an exciting and pivotal stage, and I look forward to working with Biltir members to ensure that they are effectively represented in all areas of development.”

Mr Altmaier is the former Commissioner of Insurance for Florida, a role he held from 2016 until 2022.

In his capacity as commissioner, Biltir said, Mr Altmaier led the Office of Insurance Regulation and had oversight over one of the largest insurance markets in the world.

He served as president of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in 2021, after serving as the president-elect in 2020 and vice-president in 2019.

Mr Altmaier was a vice-chairman of the executive committee for the International Association of Insurance Supervisors, representing insurance regulators and supervisors of more than 200 jurisdictions worldwide.

Natasha Scotland Courcy, the chairwoman of Biltir, said: “We are excited to have Suzanne and David come on board. With recent global and local regulatory changes impacting the long-term sector, their experience in the regulatory environment will allow us to strengthen our position as we navigate through changes and advocate on behalf of our members.”

She added: “I would like to thank Christine Patton for her support over the last year in helping to continue to build on Biltir’s advocacy infrastructure both locally and internationally, alongside our members.

“I’d also like to thank Curtis Dickinson for all of the work he’s done with us over the last year to help bolster our advocacy efforts on behalf of our members.”

Biltir represents 58 life insurers and reinsurers and 17 associate members in Bermuda who provide life and annuity products and employ more than 1,000 people on the island.