Optio Group, a leading specialty MGA, today announces the appointment of Insi Davenport to the newly created executive role of group chief risk officer, effective immediately. She will be based in London and report to CEO Deepak Soni.

This is the third newly created senior role at Optio, following the appointments of Marc Van der Veer as MD, Europe, and Joanna Eilts as head of legal, further strengthening Optio’s senior team as the group’s international expansion continues.

Davenport joins Optio Group from Lucida Group, where she served as group chief risk officer and was instrumental in embedding robust frameworks for governance, risk management and compliance across all business units. Prior to joining Lucida Group in 2021, she held a number of senior risk and compliance roles at HSBC Insurance Brokers, Barbon, HWF Partners and Ardonagh Group. With more than 25 years of industry experience, Davenport’s expertise spans enterprise risk management, regulatory compliance, operational risk and M&A.

Deepak Soni, chief executive officer, Optio Group, said: “I am thrilled to welcome Insi to Optio, who will strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional products and service to our customers and broker partners. Her extensive expertise and experience will be especially valuable as Optio continues to grow in the UK and internationally.”

Insi added: “I am delighted to be joining Optio at such an exciting time in its development. I look forward to working closely with Deepak and Matthew to ensure robust controls and strategies are in place to manage risk as the group continues to expand.”