Bermudian Wendy King has been made the new public policy and regulatory affairs analyst at the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers.

In addition, Suzanne Williams-Charles, director of policy and regulation, has been given additional responsibilities as corporate secretary.

Ms King will be responsible for conducting research and analysis on regulatory and public policy issues for Abir executive staff and member company committees.

She is an experienced regulatory policy and research professional and spent 12 years supporting the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s research and policy teams. Most recently, she served as a senior officer at the BMA’s policy and international affairs department contributing to policy initiatives.

John Huff, Abir chief executive officer, said: “Abir is pleased to welcome Wendy King. Her strong technical skills, education, regulatory experience and enthusiasm make her a great addition to our Bermuda team. Abir member companies, Bermuda’s leading insurers and reinsurers, will benefit greatly from Ms King’s research, writing and analytical abilities.”

Ms King is a member of the International Compliance Association in the UK and Bermuda, and recently completed her studies to earn an ICA diploma in governance, risk management and compliance.

Ms Williams-Charles was appointed Abir director of policy and regulation in March 2018 after nearly 22 years of industry leadership. She previously served as head of reinsurance compliance at Hiscox Re in Bermuda.

In previous roles, Ms Williams-Charles served for more than a decade in increasing regulatory roles of responsibility at the BMA, culminating in her role as deputy director of insurance supervision. She directed both group and solo entity level supervision, undertaking risk-based supervision of all commercial regulated entities in the insurance sector.

She represented the BMA at working groups of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors. She now monitors the work of the IAIS on behalf of Abir member companies and co-ordinates Abir’s contributions to the IAIS consultation papers and proposals.

Prior to her regulatory career, Ms Williams-Charles served with KPMG in senior audit and audit manager positions.

“Suzanne Williams-Charles’s extensive experience in both the public and private sectors will serve her well in an expanded Abir role as corporate secretary,” Mr Huff said.

“Her industry and regulatory experience will help Abir grow its role as an industry-leading organisation representing public policy interests of Bermuda’s international insurers and reinsurers and international market participants with a Bermuda platform.

“These appointments come at a critical time as several Abir initiatives are under way to sustain and enhance Bermuda’s global leadership position as a blue-chip, well-regulated, co-operative and transparent jurisdiction with capital, capacity and expertise necessary to close the insurance protection gap, help desk governments and serve in a leading role to secure cyber resilience.”