NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Contact: John Huff

ABIR Welcomes Wendy King as Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs Analyst 
Suzanne Williams-Charles Appointed Corporate Secretary

Hamilton, Bermuda (August 22, 2019) – The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers (ABIR) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bermudian Wendy King as Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs Analyst. Ms. King will be responsible for conducting research and analysis on regulatory and public policy issues for ABIR executive staff and member company committees. In addition, ABIR Director of Policy and Regulation, Suzanne Williams-Charles, has been appointed with additional responsibilities as ABIR Corporate Secretary.

Ms. King is an experienced regulatory policy and research professional and spent 12 years supporting the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s (BMA) 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 that enhance Bermuda’s financial services regimes. 

“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,” said John M. Huff, ABIR Chief Executive. “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 (ICA) in the UK and Bermuda, and recently completed her studies to earn an ICA diploma in Governance, Risk Management and Compliance. Her academic credentials include: an MBA degree from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri, a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Suzanne Williams-Charles was appointed ABIR Director of Policy & 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 over a decade in increasing regulatory roles of responsibility at the Bermuda Monetary Authority (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.

While at the BMA, Ms. Williams-Charles represented the BMA at working groups of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS). She now monitors the work of the IAIS on behalf of ABIR member companies and coordinates 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. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, Business Administration degree from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia, is a certified public accountant and has achieved several insurance industry designations.

“Suzanne Williams-Charles’ extensive experience in both the public and private sectors will serve her well in an expanded ABIR role as Corporate Secretary. Her industry and regulatory experience will help ABIR grow its role as an industry-leading organization representing public-policy interests of Bermuda’s international insurers and reinsurers and international market participants with a Bermuda platform,” stated CEO Huff. “These appointments come at a critical time as several ABIR initiatives are underway to sustain and enhance Bermuda’s global leadership position as a blue-chip, well-regulated, cooperative and transparent jurisdiction with capital, capacity and expertise necessary to close the insurance protection gap, help derisk governments and serve in a leading role to secure cyber resilience.”

# # #

About ABIR: The Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR) represents Bermuda’s leading property and casualty insurers and reinsurers. Bermuda is the center of global expertise on underwriting for catastrophe risk transfer products and other specialty insurance and reinsurance including cyber. ABIR International insurers and reinsurers do business in more than 150 countries. For more information, please visit: www.abir.bm. Follow us on Twitter @ABIR_Bermuda.