The Fidelis Partnership, a global insurance firm, has announced the establishment of a new office in Abu Dhabi as part of its Middle East expansion strategy, and the appointment of Matthew Warren as Executive Chairman and Youssef Al Kareh as CEO and CUO of Fidelis Middle East, Africa, Southern Asia (MEASA).

In his new role, Matthew brings over 18 years of leadership experience in the Middle East’s finance and insurance sector. He was most recently serving as CEO at Oneglobal Broking. In his previous roles, he worked with elseco ltd. as Group Chief Operating Officer, Abu Dhabi Reinsurance Company as CEO and Director, and Talbot Underwriting as CEO and Director.

On the other hand, Youssef brings around three decades of experience across the health, insurance, and real estate sectors. He most recently worked with Shory as the Deputy CEO. He also held lead roles at Asia Mideast Insurance and Reinsurance as Chief Strategy Officer, Warba Insurance Company as Chief Technical Officer, DAMANA as General Manager and Executive VP, and Solidarity General Takaful as General Manager. He also worked with Investate Realty, Marsh, Ensurion, Arab Insurance Group, and ARIG at the beginning of his career. Academically, Youssef holds an MSc degree in Financial Engineering from ISMA Centre, University of Reading, a Master's course in Securities and Investments from The Securities & Investments Institute, a BA degree in Financial Services from Edinburgh Napier University, and a BSc degree in Management from Notre Dame University.

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Announcing the expansion plans, Richard Coulson, CEO of Insurance & Deputy Group CUO of The Fidelis Partnership, said, “This is another positive development in our ambitious expansion plans, giving us more direct access to a vibrant region which has a significant pool of potential business. This also forms part of our commitment to building a footprint that aligns with where our clients, brokers, and investors are. More broadly, insurance is a critical enabler for the energy transition, and The Fidelis Partnership is already playing a leading role in helping our clients in both traditional and renewable energy tackle the unique risks and complexities in this area. We see significant potential to bring this expertise closer to clients in the Middle East.”

Matthew added: “The Fidelis Partnership has established a reputation as a leading player globally when it comes to complex risks. This is an exciting opportunity to bring these capabilities to new markets and investors in the region. We look forward to meeting brokers and their clients in person as we build our presence in Abu Dhabi and the wider MEASA region.”

Youssef also commented, “By establishing an on-the-ground presence, The Fidelis Partnership is demonstrating its strong commitment to Abu Dhabi and the wider region. I look forward to working closely with the teams in London, Bermuda, and Dublin and bringing their expertise to current and prospective clients.”