Insurtech company Pikl boosts its leadership team

Appoints Chief Operating and Chief Underwriting officers

Vacation rental insurtech specialist, Pikl, has recruited Steve McGuinness as its new Chief Operating Officer (COO) and James Everett as the company’s Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO). 

The appointments have been made to strengthen the leadership team in a bid to execute Pikl’s growth plans following the successful launch in 2023 of its B2B business for the short-term rental market.

McGuinness has a wealth of experience to call upon from his previous executive and leadership roles at Saga, Auto & General, Chubb and RBS. 

He will lead the overall management and operating of the business, including driving the organisational design, the delivery of how the business scales and managing performance and risk.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Pikl team on what promises to be a very exciting next few years for the business,” he said of the new role. “Pikl is rapidly evolving to meet the demands of customers, and we now need to create strategies to execute this growth. Innovation and speed to market are going to be key disciplines in our armoury and I hope that my experience and skillset will help the company realise its undoubted potential.”

Everett was previously Deputy Head of Underwriting at Canopius Group and brings with him significant expertise in the London and specialty markets, in particular the vacation rental and holiday let insurance markets. 

He will lead the delivery of Pikl’s capacity, pricing and underwriting growth.

“I am delighted to have joined Pikl at a very pivotal point in its evolution, where we are seeing considerable demand for our products,” he said. 

“My focus will be on creating the right capacity and delegated authority structures to enable our growth and deliver the right insurance solutions for consumers and businesses operating in vacation rentals.”

Commenting on the appointments, Pikl CEO and founder, Louise Birritteri, said: “I am very pleased to welcome Steve and James to the Pikl leadership team. The next few years are set to be ones of rapid growth for us as we deliver new partnerships, expand our markets and capitalise on the significant demand we are seeing for our products.

“Both Steve and James are seasoned insurance professionals who possess deep domain experience, particularly within the specialty and global insurance landscape. Their appointments align perfectly with Pikl’s growth ambitions, particularly in scaling operations and delivering insurance products solutions.”