UK: Sharing economy insurance specialist Pikl has recruited John Bailey and Alison Astell for two newly created senior positions in the company.
Bailey joins as head of pricing and Astell will be head of partnerships.
Bailey arrives from Co-op Insurance, where he was responsible for risk and retail pricing on the motor portfolio. His role will entail focusing on enhancing Pikl’s analytical capabilities and developing the pricing and underwriting strategy across a wide range of products.
He has a wealth of technical pricing experience developed over 17 years of specialist pricing roles in both personal and commercial lines for insurers including Aviva, RSA and Co-op as well as in MGA and broker environments at Towergate. He has led teams carrying out risk/cost modelling, retail pricing and tactical analysis and reporting, delivered complex projects including price optimisation, telematics and insurer-hosted pricing, and enhanced reporting and monitoring capabilities.
Bailey said: “The opportunity to join an exciting and dynamic start-up in a new area of the market, whilst working with some great people, many of whom I’ve worked with previously, was just too good to miss. I am looking forward to the challenge of helping Pikl grow rapidly over the next few years.”
As head of partnerships, Astell will focus on Pikl’s distribution strategy and work with new and existing partners in various areas of the market, including brokers, insurers, property agents and sharing economy platforms. She previously worked as key account director at Vast Visibility, where she was tasked with developing the company’s price comparison affinity partnerships.
In addition, Astell has over 20 years’ experience in personal lines broking and insurance at BGL, Fresh and iGO4, before later entering the telematics space. She brings with her a network of contacts and an in-depth knowledge of bringing products to market, building insurer panels and sourcing and growing affinity partner business.
Astell said: “I’m really excited to be joining the Pikl team. Pikl has identified a real gap in the market for people who are participating in the sharing economy and that market is set to grow massively over the next few years.”
Pikl CEO Louise Birritteri said: “It’s fantastic to welcome John and Alison on board. These are two key appointments that underline the seriousness with which we are approaching this sector of the market.
“They are both highly experienced and motivated individuals who are going to help us to make Pikl the ‘go to’ brand for sharing economy insurance cover,” she added.
For more information, visit the Pikl website here.
