Hiscox Syndicates Ltd (HSL), the managing agent for Lloyd’s of London underwriter Hiscox, has appointed Harriet Hanna as its chief operating officer (COO), subject to regulatory approval.  

Hanna will assume her new role in September, succeeding the retiring Adam Rushin, who has served Hiscox for more than 25 years. 

Hanna will be based in London, reporting to Kate Markham, Hiscox London Market CEO, and will join both the Hiscox London market leadership team and the HSL Board upon commencement of her duties. 

She has more than 20 years of experience in technology and financial services and held roles at the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays and Amazon.  

At Amazon, she occupied senior leadership roles within the Alexa division and subsequently in Amazon Stores International, contributing to the launch of AI-powered grocery stores in the UK. 

Hanna stated: “It is an exciting time to join the business as it continues to evolve and innovate, and I am looking forward to continuing to build on its strong track record of giving businesses the confidence to realise their ambitions.” 

Most recently, Hanna held the position of COO at Funding Circle. 

As COO for HSL, she will be responsible for overseeing the operational capabilities of the managing agent, ensuring compliance with service standards and regulatory requirements across all business units that draw on syndicate capacity.  

Additionally, she will assume direct oversight of the operations and change teams within Hiscox’s London Market business, tasked with setting operational strategy and leading business unit evolution. 

Markham said: “Harriet joins us at a pivotal time as we continue to scale our business and accelerate our digital transformation efforts. Her significant operational experience, including in areas like digital, data and AI, will add great value.”  

This appointment follows the recent appointments of Peter Clarke as chair designate and Phil Withey as chief technology officer for the London Market.