Aspen Insurance Holdings Ltd., the Bermuda-based re/insurer, has promoted Julian Cusack to the role of chief operating officer.

Mr. Cusack's new role will include responsibility for Aspen's actuarial, risk management, compliance and legal departments. He will also continue as chairman and CEO of Aspen Insurance Ltd., roles he has held since November 2006 and June 2002 respectively.

In addition, Mr. Cusack will continue to chair Aspen's reserving committee and maintain responsibility for certain special projects.

The company also announced that Richard Houghton, chief financial officer, will assume additional responsibilities for operational oversight of Aspen's human resources, information technology and re/insurance/ claims departments.

Mr. Cusack and Mr. Houghton will continue to report to Aspen's CEO Chris O'Kane.

The promotion of Mr. Cusack and the expansion of Mr. Houghton's role follow the decision by Stuart Sinclair, president and chief operating officer of Aspen, to resign effective April 17, in order to pursue other business and personal opportunities.

Mr. O'Kane said: "I would like to congratulate Julian on his appointment as chief operating officer. He has been an instrumental figure in Aspen's development since the company's inception and we are delighted to be able to further access his business acumen.

"I am also pleased to expand Richard Houghton's role to take on additional operational responsibilities - all in disciplines where he has significant prior experience. Stuart has been highly effective in his role as an agent of change at Aspen. He has put in place the necessary infrastructure to support our expansion in Europe and reorganisation in the United States with great success and I wish him all the very best in his future endeavours."

Former president of The Elite Group, Terry Barrow, has been appointed vice-president of BESCO's engineering and construction division.

Mr. Barrow, who has 35 years of experience as a chartered electrical engineer, will be responsible for managing the company's electrical and mechanical engineering projects. He will also oversee the construction division of BESCO which includes their building automation department, fire systems department, and uninterruptible power systems and standby power generators.

Mr. Barrow said: "I look forward to working with BESCO and overseeing the successful completion of many exciting construction and electrical projects. I am confident that my experience and knowledge will be of benefit to our clients as we move forward."

Mr. Barrow is a member of both the UK Institution of Electrical Engineers, the Bermuda Association of Professional Engineers and is a Registered Professional Engineer in Bermuda.

Co-owner of BESCO and vice-president of operations, Bryan Adams, said: "Terry has a tremendous knowledge base and excellent electrical engineering skills gained from more than three decades of experience in this field. As such, he is a valuable addition to the company and we are confident that our clients will benefit from his expertise. On behalf of the BESCO team, I am pleased to welcome Terry on board."

Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd. has made two new appointments.

David Hogg joined Aon Insurance Managers in January 2008 as vice-president of client services. He moved to Bermuda from Guernsey where he worked for Marsh Management Services for several years, most recently as a vice-president and senior insurance manager.

Susan Lane joined Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd. in March 2008 as vice-president of business development. Prior to joining Aon, she served as a vice-president at Artex Risk Solutions (Bermuda) Ltd. and Kensington Management Group Ltd. in the Cayman Islands.