Retirement specialist Just Group has appointed Dan Ryan as director of demographic risk and made three “strategic new hires” for its defined benefits derisking business. 

Ryan is a medical demographer with three decades of experience in the insurance industry. He has led global multi-disciplinary teams at WTW and Swiss Re on product innovation, emerging risks and the digital transformation of insurance, bringing together actuaries, doctors, underwriters, behavioural experts and data scientists. 

He was also a founding member of the Covid-19 Actuaries Response Group, and he advised insurers, pension schemes and governments on epidemiology, vaccination, demographic risk and social behaviours at the risk research consultancy, COIOS. 

Ryan is the UK representative on the Mortality Virtual Forum of the International Actuaries Association, and co-chairs the Longevity & Mortality Actuaries Forum, as well as being a non-executive director at Club Vita.  

He will report to Paul Fulcher, group capital management and investment executive, who said Ryan’s “tremendous depth of experience” in medical demography and insurance will help the company’s business to continue to focus on the UK retirement income market. 

Fulcher added: “Just Group has a reputation for innovation, and Dan’s strategic insight on demographic trends, emerging risks and product development will bring a valuable perspective to our business as we execute our ambitious growth agenda.” 

Ryan’s appointment came after Just announced the creation of three new roles to support the firm’s growth plans in its DB derisking business.

Tom Bulpitt has been appointed as director of pricing and reinsurance while Richard Wood will be DB structuring lead, reporting to Bulpitt. The pair will join the company in the next few weeks. Andy Fryer recently started his role as the firm’s head of proposition development, reporting to Rob Mechem, director of DB commercial.   

In his new role at Just, Bulpitt will lead the pricing and reinsurance function and the implementation of a pricing and reinsurance platform for the business. 

Bulpitt is a life actuary joining from the European insurance consolidator Athora, where he led its work on capital strategy. Prior to Athora, he worked at Milliman UK for 10 years as an actuarial consultant. He has delivered and advised on reinsurance transactions across Europe with technical expertise in Solvency II, focussing on capital management, optimisation and asset and liability management.  

Wood joins from life insurer Phoenix, where he structured and executed longevity swap and asset intensive reinsurance contracts. Fryer came from Aon, where he led the corporate actuarial team in Birmingham and advised a portfolio of corporate clients on their funding and derisking strategies.

Bulpitt will report to Pretty Sagoo, managing director of DB solutions at Just Group, who said: “These three highly talented and experienced hires are great news for our fast growing DB derisking business. Our business has never been stronger.”