Directors

Andy Shaw

Managing Director

Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk

Andy started his career in insurance in 1991 in a brokerage and has since worked for a variety of SME and large insurers and brokers. He specialises in scheme insurance after finding niche opportunities within the industry and subsequently developing them into businesses. Andy is both a Director of Acasta and a Director of AEICL.

Shaun Leach

Director

Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk

Shaun has worked in Finance since graduating 16 years ago, working across various industries. Notably within the cosmetic surgery industry, during which time he became a Chartered Accountant after completing CIMA, following on from AAT. Shaun’s worked in the insurance industry for the last five years, gaining experience managing a Finance team predominantly in ATE insurance. Having started with Acasta a year ago as Financial Controller, Shaun has now taken up the role of Director. He’s looking forward to the continuing management and development of the Finance team and driving the continued success of the company with the established Board.

Underwriters

Remi Cosgrove

Head of Underwriting and Products

Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk

Remi has worked in the Insurance Industry for over 6 years and started his career as an Insurance Broker. Remi decided in 2019 to join Acasta to further develop his knowledge of underwriting and has since gained valuable experience in managing insurance portfolios, developing new products, and analysing the performance of existing products. As the Head of Underwriting and Products, Remi is responsible for the management of the Underwriting Department along with assessing and managing risks, determining coverage and pricing, and ensuring that products are in line with regulatory requirements. Remi is looking forward to developing new sustainable offerings for clients that provide welcome diversity to Acasta’s growing portfolio of products.

 

Kevin Cheung

Underwriter Level 3

Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk

Kevin joined Acasta in 2023 as an Underwriter after over 4 years of experience in other Insurance companies. Kevin uses his experience and skills to manage his portfolio and provide support to our brokers. He always identifies brokers’ and customers’ needs and offers appropriate advice for them.

 

Muhammad Ayaz 

Underwriter Level 2

Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk

Muhammad joined the Acasta team in early 2023, bringing with him an adept and innovative approach to the Underwriting department. After graduating from the University of Leicester with a degree in Maths, he has been able to apply his various expertise in sales and Microsoft Excel to his work here at Acasta and has a keen eye for detail. His work currently involves assessing current and new brokers’ performances and offering appropriate advice for the brokers and the company.

With an aspiration for sustainability and helping the world be more eco-friendly, he is also eager to assist with the company’s desire to lower carbon emissions and eventually, carbon neutrality.

Thomas Reid

Underwriter Level 2

Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk

Tom joined Acasta in early 2023 as a Level 2 Underwriter. After coming from a background working within the claims management sector, he joined Acasta to develop his underwriting and risk management skills and gain valuable experience within the financial services industry.

Harry Tomlinson

Underwriter Level 1

Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk

Harry recently graduated from the University of Liverpool and has joined Acasta in his first graduate position, supporting the Underwriting team. His daily tasks include advising customers on their policies and maintaining relationships with brokers whilst training and further developing his skills.

 

Mackenzie Smith

Underwriter Level 1

Mackenzie joined our Insurance Trainee Programme in September 2023, to fully explore the insurance underwriting sector and find his ideal role. Since then he has found a calling for Underwriting and has joined the Underwriting department as a Level 1 Underwriter. Mackenzie will be supporting the department in maintaining broker relationships and broadening his own skill set.

Audit

Dhanashree Kulkarni

Head of Audit

Email: audits@acastaeurope.co.uk

Dhanashree brings a new perspective to Acasta, after having worked within both the health and insurance sector for the past 16 years. Her extensive experience has led her to develop intrinsic skills in designing and implementing efficient process flows, alongside forecasting for enhanced efficiency and service improvement. Dhanashree’s journey into the insurance sector was characterised by navigating the intricacies of healthcare and Motor Insurance. Here at Acasta, her focus is on applying these skills to continuously develop the Audit team.

Laura Rose

Auditor

Email: audits@acastaeurope.co.uk

After having worked in the insurance and customer service industries, Laura joined Acasta as a member of our Audit team in March 2022. In her day-to-day role, she works with the team to complete internal and external audits. This includes managing the audit schedule, communicating with clients and performing audits. 

Bilal Iqbal

Auditor

Email: audits@acastaeurope.co.uk

Bilal joined Acasta in 2022 after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Law. He has a strong legal background, with experience in dealing with small-track claims. As part of the team, he will be conducting internal and external audits. He is looking forward to developing his skills and gaining experience as one of Acasta’s Auditors.

Compliance

Rebecca Macfadyen

Head of Compliance 

Email: audits@acastaeurope.co.uk

Rebecca joined us with 10+ years in the Consumer Credit and Insurance Financial Services industry, working for a variety of small-medium sized general insurance, credit broking and credit lending firms across the North-West. Additionally, Rebecca has worked as a specialist in FCA Regulatory Compliance for 8+ years, which started with Second Line Compliance Monitoring. At Acasta, Rebecca will be responsible for overseeing the Compliance team, ensuring Acasta’s compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards in the insurance sector. Rebecca is excited to be supporting the growth of Acasta through the ongoing development of the Compliance function in line with the business trajectory.

Sabah Ali

Compliance Support

Email: Compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk

Sabah joined Acasta in 2022 after graduating from Lancaster University with a degree in Law. She has a strong legal background and provides invaluable support to the team. She aims to develop her skills and broaden her insurance industry knowledge.

Rory Carrington

Compliance Support

Email: Compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk

Having worked in the marketing industry for 6 years, as a consumer-focused Compliance Assistant, Rory joined the team at Acasta in 2023 to apply his compliance knowledge and develop expertise in the insurance sector.

Claims

Gareth Crosbie

Head of Claims

Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk

Gareth has 34 years of experience in Claims, working for insurers and MGA’s leading multi-site teams handling various product lines including commercial property, real estate, casualty, motor, financial lines, standard and non-standard home products together with various niche schemes.

Gareth is responsible for the claims function across both Acasta Europe and AEICL.

Corey Green

Claims Team Leader

Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk

Corey joined Acasta as the Claims Team Leader, bringing with him 6 years of experience working within claims, for insurance products covering Pet, Gadget, Income Protection, GAP, Excess Protection, and 3rd party Liability. Additionally, Corey has worked in customer-facing roles for 10 years, building strong interpersonal skills. Here at Acasta, Corey is responsible for handling claims and the reports for each claim. Corey is a keen learner and is always looking forward to learning & developing his claims knowledge, in all areas.

Thomas Heathcote

Claims Handler

Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk

Thomas joined Acasta as part of the Claims team, previously working in claims for the last 3 years. With over ten years of experience in customer service-based roles, Thomas provides immeasurable support to the entire department. 

Carla Shepherd

Claims Administrator

Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk

Carla joined Acasta in September 2023, eager to challenge herself, and aspires to develop her expertise within the department. Carla is on a dedicated path to enhance her skill set, particularly in the realm of insurance claims, showcasing her commitment to professional development.

Data & Analytics

Joseph Lees

Head of Data and Analytics 

Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk

Joseph has worked as a Pricing Actuary since 2012 for Willis Towers Watson, and then SCOR across several different lines of business. He joined Acasta in 2023 to expand the pricing and analytic capabilities of the company. He is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and has a master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College London.

Andreas Levendi

Data Analyst

Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk

Andreas joined the team as a Junior Data Analyst in 2021 after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor’s degree in Financial Mathematics. He has since been promoted to Data Analyst. Amongst his other responsibilities, he mentors other professionals within the team, providing invaluable support to the company.

Ali Abbas

Junior Data Analyst

Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk

Ali joined the team in 2023 after recently graduating with a 2:1 bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.  After developing a keen interest in Data Analytics, Ali completed the IN 4.0 Bootcamp from October 2022 to March 2023. He currently works as a Junior Data Analyst, where he aims to apply and develop his skill-set further.

Marketing

Ellie Bower

Head of Operations and Marketing

Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk

After completing her Marketing degree, Ellie became a Marketing Executive at Acasta Europe whilst also working for an insurance broker. Her experience within the insurance industry has allowed her to develop a wide range of skills. In her current role, she manages marketing and operations for the business. Among her responsibilities are managing our communication channels, events, and daily internal processes.

Anna Mason

Marketing Executive

Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk

Anna is an influential Marketer, with experience with online and offline marketing and lead generation. Here at Acasta, she focuses on market research, looking for opportunities to help increase brand awareness, updating the website, and helping redesign and create interactive and accessible content for social platforms. 

Isaac Shaw

Marketing and Operations Executive

Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk

Isaac joined our Insurance Trainee Programme for a hands-on learning experience across all insurance facets. After working in each department, Isaac found a passion to pursue the marketing and operations side of the business. Eager to develop within the team, Isaac is poised to bring a fresh perspective and dedication to our team.

Accounts

Tracy Evans

Assistant Financial Accountant

Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk

Tracy joined the Acasta team in 2018. Since gaining her AAT qualification Tracy has worked in finance for over 30 years. She has worked in several different industries and has experience in all aspects of accounts. Tracy works closely with the financial controller looking after the company accounts.

Charlotte Banski-Grayson

Assistant Financial Accountant

Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk

Charlotte joined us in May 2021. She will work within the finance team looking after the company accounts. She has worked in finance for the last 14 years for a Legal Expenses Insurance company where she studied AAT and looks forward to using her experience here at Acasta. 

James Bidmead

Client Account Manager

Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk

James joined Acasta in September 2020 as part of the Accounts team, to focus on the running of client accounts. James has experience working within an accounts capacity in the insurance field having previously worked at an Insurance Brokerage for 8 years. He’s gained knowledge of a variety of general insurance products and is looking forward to applying that experience to his role at Acasta.