Natasha Scotland Courcy has been named Woman of the Year 2024 by Women in Reinsurance, the professional organisation for women working in Bermuda’s reinsurance sector.

Ms Scotland Courcy is the CEO and general counsel of Athene Life Re, and the chairwoman of the Bermuda International Long-Term Insurers and Reinsurers organisation.

The first award of its type was presented at WiRe’s second annual Women’s Day Gala, a sold-out event that attracted corporate representation from 26 reinsurance companies and related service providers.

The organisation said attendees included Rena Lalgie, the Governor; the senator Arianna Hodgson, Junior Minister of Labour, Finance and Health; and Peta White, the chairwoman of the WiRe board and president of Vantage Risk Ltd.

WiRe said Ms Scotland Courcy “is a well-known advocate for the life reinsurance sector in Bermuda. She regularly contributes to industry panels, bringing awareness to the sector’s successful track record and advocating for proactive regulation to ensure life reinsurance continues as a key feature of the Bermuda international business landscape”.

It added that under her leadership, Athene has become a notable philanthropic partner for a range of charitable organisations.

Last year, Ms Scotland Courcy spearheaded the first Life Career Expo. Hosted by Athene Life Re, the event exposed almost 300 attendees to the high-quality career opportunities available in Bermuda’s life reinsurance sector.

In her thank you remarks, WiRe said, Ms Scotland Courcy paid homage to her legacy as a woman of the African diaspora working to gain access to opportunities that would have been denied to previous generations.

Referring to the sacrifices and encouragement of those who came before her, Ms Scotland Courcy said: “I may be one, but I stand here 10,000-strong.”

The organisation said: “WiRe congratulates Natasha Scotland Courcy and thanks her for her inspiring leadership.”

A wide range of industry personnel at the gala, from industry legends and C-suite executives to WiRe members just embarking on their career journey, heard a keynote address by Karen Clark, CEO and cofounder of Karen Clark & Co, who is known as the inventor of the catastrophe model, technology that revolutionised the way global reinsurers assessed natural peril exposures.

WiRe said Ms Clark entertained the audience with early experiences of being the only woman in the room, promoting new technology to the then all-male cohorts of Lloyd’s underwriters and brokers.

She offered encouragement to novice professionals, telling them to dedicate themselves to working hard and be prepared for unexpected opportunities — in her case, a hurricane.

Ms Clark challenged the room of reinsurance professionals to show leadership by sharing expertise to help society navigate the response to the realities of climate change.

WiRe also congratulated Tammy Richardson, Bermuda’s Woman of the Year 2024.

The gala featured a range of local artists including Rewind: Sarah & TonyB, Kinetix Natural Movement, Jackson’s School of Dance and DJ Rai.

WiRe chairwoman Peta White closed the formal line-up with a celebratory champagne toast sponsored by Conduit Re.

The organisation thanked its corporate partners Arch, Aon, Chubb, Martello Re, PartnerRe, Vantage Risk, Ariel Re, Guy Carpenter and MS Reinsurance.