Oak Reinsurance has appointed James Irvine as chief underwriting officer, Property.

Based in London, Mr Irvine will join Oak Reinsurance in spring 2025, and report directly to Cathal Carr, chief executive and active underwriter of Oak syndicate 2843.

In his new role, Mr Irvine will lead the development of Oak Re’s Property offering, which the company says is a cornerstone of its growth and leadership strategy.

Oak Re said Mr Irvine has close to 20 years of experience, having begun his career at Guy Carpenter before joining Lancashire in 2010, where he was pivotal in building its treaty portfolio.

He became group chief underwriting officer, Reinsurance at Lancashire, where he oversaw underwriting operations across both Bermuda and Lloyd’s.

Mr Carr, who spent 19 years with RenaissanceRe before leaving last year, said: “Oak Re’s vision is to establish a leading global reinsurance franchise at Lloyd’s, driven by industry-leading talent, underpinned by cutting-edge risk insights, and backed by long-term investors.

“Appointing James reflects this vision: it is another important step in continuing to build a team that leads from the front as the business grows.”