Leading global player in corporate insurance against climate and emerging risks hires Chief Revenue Officer to drive go-to-market strategy for the firm’s global network of broker partners.
Louis Bollaert joins Descartes Underwriting as Chief Revenue Officer and will oversee expanding Descartes’ corporate offering to climate-exposed markets globally. With significant investment into R&D, and a growing team of 80+ PhDs, underwriting experts, and data scientists, the firm’s ability to model and price climate and emerging exposures leads the industry. As Descartes reaches advanced stages of new product development, Louis will also manage the roll-out of expanded product lines and customer segments.
He brings over 20 years of brokerage, risk management and insurance industry experience, most recently as the Head of Trade Credit, Political risk, Surety and M&A Solutions at Aon in France. Prior to that, Louis worked at Euler Hermes France as Distribution and Partnerships Director. He started his career as an internal auditor and project manager at Bouygues Telecom, as well as a strategic consultant for an independent firm. He holds a degree in Strategy from HEC Paris.
Louis Bollaert – Chief Revenue Officer
“Climate change and emerging exposures are deeply changing the risk landscape. From Melbourne to Miami, the physical and financial implications of intensifying natural perils are on the rise, underscoring the need for a revolutionary shift in how we, as an industry, understand risk and provide insurance solutions” statedLouis Bollaert, Chief Revenue Officer at Descartes Underwriting.
“I am delighted to be joining the great team of Descartes Underwriting. First, because I fully share its ambition to become a major global player in corporate resilience to climate change. Secondly, due to the approach & resources devoted to serving this ambition. The intelligent “exploitation” of data will be the only way to mobilize market capital in the face of increasingly complex risk. And above all, given the talent comprising the team, which is so versatile and brilliant, and whose youth and fierce desire to serve the cause of climate transition reassure me about our future. I look forward to continuing in close collaboration with Descartes’ global network of brokers to jointly provide their clients with bespoke solutions that build resilience and a smooth transition, through an expanded product line against climate risks.” Louis Bollaert continued.
Violaine Raybaud, previously Head of Business Development, has been promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer, as a decisive step in Descartes journey towards leading the industry as the next gen corporate insurer against climate and emerging risks. On this occasion she remarked: “We are proud of the strong foundations we’ve built and the fast growth delivered by our outstanding global team. Welcoming Louis marks a major milestone in our continued momentum towards building future successes with our broker partners. As COO, I look forward to steering the team to further infuse technology and Descartes’ client-first approach within our finance and operations divisions.”
Tanguy Touffut, Descartes’ CEO & Co-founder shared: “The climate is changing and new risks are emerging, while high inflation could put insurance renewals at risk. Yet the insurance industry is neither structured nor prepared to meet the evolving challenges clients face. This is where Descartes’ parametric products can play a role in corporate insurance programs, and support a better dialogue between risk managers, brokers and carriers. We are happy to welcome Louis to the team to continue to fuel our product pipeline and close collaboration with brokers as they navigate a challenging market environment and their clients’ climate exposures. ”
Offering a new generation of technology-driven corporate insurance, Descartes collaborates with brokers to protect their corporate and public sector clients against the full spectrum of natural catastrophe and extreme weather exposures.
Descartes’ covers are uniquely designed to provide cost-effective and fully transparent products that guarantee liquidity via swift and direct payout. Born out of the conviction that climate change calls for a revolutionary approach to insurance, Descartes is structured as an MGA backed by a panel of tier-one risk carriers and can provide $200M USD in capacity per policy.
Descartes Underwriting is proud to be the largest independent parametric specialized firm globally with support from Highland Capital, Eurazeo, Cathay Innovation, Serena VC, Blackfin Capital Partners, Seaya Ventures and Mundi Ventures. Headquartered in Paris, Descartes’ team spans office locations in New York, London, Madrid, Frankfurt, Singapore, Sydney, Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles & Little Rock.
About Descartes Underwriting
Descartes Underwriting was founded in 2018 by a team of insurance veterans and climate scientists under the principle that new technologies can deeply transform the insurance industry, reducing friction and restoring trust in the market. This is particularly pertinent given the rise in exclusionary language used in traditional policy wordings as a result of the pandemic and market hardening – which has brought unease and frayed trust among Insureds. Comparatively, parametric policies and their straightforward structure provide unveiled transparency for clients in ‘what they see is what they get’. Core to the value proposition of parametric insurance is the ability to increase the certainty between a loss event taking place and a pay-out being made, quickly, accurately and without friction costs.
