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
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.
Sales and Distribution
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 Cert CII
Auditor
Email: audits@acastaeurope.co.uk
Laura (Cert CII) joined Acasta’s Audit team in March 2022, bringing experience from the insurance and customer service sectors. In her role, she manages the audit schedule, liaises with clients, and conducts both internal and external audits. Laura holds the Cert CII designation, reflecting her expertise and commitment to her career development.
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: compliance@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 Advisory Officer
Email: Compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk
Sabah joined Acasta Europe in 2022, following her graduation in Law from Lancaster University. With a solid legal foundation, she quickly became an essential part of the team. Initially serving as Compliance Support, she led significant projects including onboarding due diligence and the development of Compliance Plans. Her efforts and expertise led to her promotion to Compliance Advisory Officer, where she continues to offer expert compliance guidance to the team.
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 & Operations
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.
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.
