BMS Specialty rehires Phillips as African practice leader

BMS Group has appointed Ryan Phillips as director and African practice leader.

Based in London, his geographical remit will encompass the entire African continent.

Phillips (pictured) will join BMS in March 2025, and will report to Paul Galvin, director.

He will collaborate closely with the wider BMS team, which primarily serves clients based in South Africa, to expand the regional footprint.

This appointment marks Phillips’ return to BMS, where he had spent the first 12 years of his career across a variety of roles in broking and marketing.

In his time away from BMS, Phillips has garnered a wealth of experience in the insurance industry over the course of 13 years.

Most recently, he was group CEO at Lloyd’s broker Afro Asian Insurance Services (AAIS).

There he tripled broking revenues and oversaw operations for seven global offices, including Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Tanzania.

Prior to this role, Phillips was chief operating officer at Matrix Insurance brokers, bought by Howden in 2020.

As African practice leader, Phillips will lead lines of business including property, political violence, terrorism, energy, financial lines and cyber.

“Ryan will be a great addition to BMS,” Galvin said.

“His deep knowledge of the African market landscape and his established international network, as well as strong relationships within the London market, will be invaluable to the business as we grow in this territory.

“Providing a dedicated resource to a region so rich in opportunity is an important step for BMS, and we are confident Ryan is the right person to lead this initiative.”

Chris Ritchie, managing director, international direct and facultative, BMS, added: “Ryan’s expertise and extensive relationships in the African reinsurance market will be indispensable as BMS continues the expansion of its international footprint. I look forward to welcoming him to the team.”