Head of Corporate & Legal Affairs

Head of Corporate Affairs

Shape legal, risk and compliance oversight in one of Europe’s leading specialist marine insurance businesses!

MSIG Specialty Marine NV is a specialist marine Managing General Agent within the MS&AD Group, one of the world’s leading non-life insurance groups. With offices across Belgium, Rotterdam, Paris, Hamburg, London, Antwerp and Singapore, we provide tailored marine insurance solutions backed by technical expertise, flexible capital and deep market knowledge.

We operate in a complex, international and highly regulated marine insurance environment. Our business sits at the intersection of global trade, specialist underwriting, delegated authority, carrier relationships, claims excellence, sanctions, regulatory scrutiny and commercial opportunity.

We are now looking for a Head of Corporate Affairs to play a critical role in protecting and enabling the business as we continue to grow.

This is a senior, high-impact role for someone who enjoys working at the centre of complex legal, regulatory and commercial matters. You will provide trusted advice to senior leaders, strengthen governance frameworks, oversee delegated authority and compliance controls, and help ensure MSIG Specialty Marine operates responsibly, confidently and within mandate.

The opportunity

As Head of Corporate Affairs, you will provide senior oversight across legal, regulatory, risk, compliance, sanctions, financial crime and delegated authority governance.

You will work closely with the MSIG Specialty Marine Board, Executive Management, Claims Director, underwriting and claims leaders, 1st line risk owners, and 2nd line Risk and Compliance function holders, including those shared with our main capital provider.

Externally, you will interact with carriers, reinsurers, brokers, insurance managers, regulators, external counsel, industry associations, professional bodies, universities and other relevant partners.

This is not a narrow legal or compliance role. It is a broad, influential and commercially important position where your judgement will directly support responsible growth, carrier confidence, regulatory resilience and the long-term sustainability of our international marine insurance platform.

Why this role matters

Marine insurance is deeply connected to global trade, geopolitical change, complex supply chains and an evolving regulatory environment. That means legal, risk and compliance oversight is not simply a control function it is central to how the business protects its reputation, supports clients and brokers, strengthens carrier confidence and enables sustainable growth.

In this role, you will help ensure MSIG Specialty Marine continues to operate with the right balance of commercial agility, technical discipline, legal robustness and strong governance.

Your work will directly influence how we manage delegated authority, respond to emerging risks, navigate sanctions and financial crime exposure, support complex claims, and maintain the trust of carriers, reinsurers, regulators and group stakeholders.

What you can expect from us

At MSIG Specialty Marine, you will join a specialist business where expertise matters, judgement is trusted and your contribution has visible impact.

You will be close to the business, close to senior decision-making and close to the complex risks shaping the marine insurance market. This is an environment where legal, risk and compliance are not seen as box-ticking functions, but as essential partners in protecting the business, enabling responsible growth and strengthening carrier confidence.

You can expect:

• A specialist international environment with exposure to complex marine insurance, global trade, delegated authority and sanctions matters.
• Senior visibility and the opportunity to influence decisions across the Board, Executive Management, carriers and group stakeholders.
• A role where your technical expertise, commercial judgement and ability to challenge constructively will be genuinely valued.
• The opportunity to help shape and mature legal, risk and compliance frameworks in a growing specialist MGA.
• A pragmatic, collaborative culture where strong governance and commercial understanding go hand in hand.
• The backing of a major global insurance group, combined with the agility and specialist focus of a marine MGA.
• Exposure to meaningful, high-impact work that directly supports the resilience, reputation and future growth of the business.

What you will be doing

You will be responsible for ensuring MSIG Specialty Marine has clear, practical and auditable legal, risk and compliance frameworks in place.

Your key areas of focus will include:

Legal, governance and regulatory oversight

• You will maintain and strengthen governance frameworks across the business, ensuring alignment with regulatory obligations, group standards, carrier expectations, binding authorities and coverholder agreements.

• You will advise senior leaders on legal, regulatory, conduct, governance and delegated authority risks, translating complex requirements into practical business guidance.

Delegated authority and underwriting governance

• You will help ensure underwriting and claims activity remains within agreed authority, appetite and mandate.

• This will include oversight of delegated authority controls, referral thresholds, underwriting guidelines, bordereaux governance, carrier audits, authority breaches and remediation plans.

Risk management

• You will own and maintain MSM’s risk register and support the business in identifying, assessing and managing risks across products, territories, distribution models, carrier arrangements and operational activity.

• You will work closely with 1st line risk owners and 2nd line Risk and Compliance function holders to ensure accountability, effective escalation and strong oversight.

Sanctions, financial crime and trade compliance

• Marine insurance operates within global trade, which brings significant sanctions and financial crime exposure.

• You will lead MSM’s approach to sanctions compliance, AML, counter-terrorist financing, anti-bribery, corruption and trade compliance, ensuring screening, controls, escalation and training remain robust and effective.

Claims legal support and dispute oversight

• You will provide legal advice and oversight on complex and high-value marine claims, disputes, litigation, arbitration, recoveries, policy wordings and commercial arrangements.

• This may include matters relating to cargo, hull, salvage, general average, P&I, liability, war, piracy and other specialist marine risks.

Reporting, assurance and stakeholder management

• You will prepare clear and insightful reporting for the Board, Executive Management, carriers, reinsurers and governance forums.

• You will also support audits, assurance reviews, carrier renewals and regulatory readiness by demonstrating strong governance, transparency and control.

What makes this role exciting?

This is a rare opportunity to operate at the heart of a specialist marine insurance business where your advice will shape decisions, strengthen controls and support responsible commercial growth. You will be joining a technically strong, international business with deep marine expertise and a meaningful role in the wider global insurance market.

The role offers:

• Senior visibility across Board, Executive Management, carrier and group stakeholders.
• Exposure to complex international marine insurance matters.
• A broad remit across legal, risk, compliance, delegated authority, sanctions and claims governance.
• The opportunity to influence how governance, controls and risk maturity continue to evolve.
• A commercially pragmatic environment where strong judgement, clarity and constructive challenge are valued.
• The chance to work with specialist underwriters, claims experts, brokers, reinsurers and external legal partners.
• The ability to make a tangible impact in a business where legal, risk and compliance are close to commercial decision-making.

What we are looking for

We are looking for someone with strong technical credibility, commercial judgement and the confidence to advise, influence and challenge senior stakeholders.

You may come from an insurance, reinsurance, specialty insurance, marine insurance, MGA, carrier, law firm or regulated financial services background.

You will bring experience in several of the following areas:

• Legal, risk, compliance or governance within insurance or financial services.
• Delegated authority, coverholder, MGA or binding authority structures.
• Insurance legal and regulatory frameworks.
• Sanctions, AML, financial crime, bribery and corruption controls.
• Claims governance, complex claims, litigation, arbitration or coverage disputes.
• Policy wordings, clauses, endorsements and contractual interpretation.
• Enterprise risk management and incident oversight.
• Board, committee, carrier or regulatory reporting.
• External counsel management.
• Multi-jurisdictional stakeholder management.
• Working with 1st line risk owners and 2nd line Risk and Compliance functions.
  

Marine insurance, shipping, trade, logistics or maritime law experience would be highly valuable, but we are also open to candidates from broader specialty insurance or regulated insurance environments who can bring the right mix of legal, risk and compliance expertise.

You will thrive in this role if you are

• Pragmatic, commercially minded and solutions-focused.
• Confident advising senior leaders and working with Board-level stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in complex, technical and international environments.
• Able to translate legal and regulatory complexity into clear business action.
• Strong enough to challenge constructively, while practical enough to help the business move forward.
• Detail-focused without becoming bureaucratic.
• Collaborative, credible and trusted by both business and control functions.
• Calm and structured when dealing with sensitive or high-risk matters.
• Curious about emerging risks, global trade, sanctions, regulation and specialist insurance.
• Motivated by protecting the business while enabling responsible commercial growth.

Why join MSIG Specialty Marine?

At MSIG Specialty Marine, you will be part of a specialist business with deep technical expertise, an international footprint and the backing of a major global insurance group.

You will work on complex, meaningful matters that sit at the heart of marine insurance, global trade and delegated authority governance. Your work will have direct impact on carrier confidence, regulatory resilience, legal risk, claims outcomes and the continued success of the business.

This is a role for someone who wants more than a traditional legal or compliance position. It is for someone who wants to be close to the business, trusted by senior stakeholders, and involved in the decisions that shape how a specialist marine MGA operates responsibly and successfully.

If you are looking for a role where your expertise will be visible, your judgement will be trusted and your contribution will genuinely matter, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Interested?

If you are a senior legal, risk or compliance professional looking for a broad, influential and commercially meaningful role within specialist marine insurance, we would be very happy to hear from you.