Corporate and specialty insurer HDI Global has appointed Jessica Heaume as Head of Cyber, Middle East, as the company strengthens its specialist underwriting capabilities in the region.
The appointment was announced alongside the hiring of Lloyd Lui as Senior Risk Engineer Construction, Middle East, based in Dubai. HDI Global said both appointments support its growth ambitions across the Middle East as organisations face increasingly complex risk environments shaped by digital transformation, infrastructure development and evolving regulatory requirements.
Jessica Heaume joins HDI Global as Head of Cyber, Middle East
Jessica Heaume joins HDI Global with more than eight years of experience in cyber and financial lines underwriting across the Middle East and Africa.
Prior to joining HDI Global, Jessica Heaume served as Head of Cyber for the region at AIG, where she led cyber underwriting strategy and supported portfolio growth. Earlier in her career, Jessica Heaume held senior underwriting roles covering cyber and financial lines facultative reinsurance. Jessica Heaume began her insurance career with Beazley in London.
HDI Global said the appointment comes as cyber risk continues to move higher on boardroom agendas across the Gulf Cooperation Council. Organisations across the region are managing growing digital exposure, increased operational connectivity and changing regulatory expectations.
According to HDI Global, businesses are increasingly viewing cyber insurance as part of a broader resilience strategy rather than solely as a risk transfer mechanism. The company said this trend is increasing demand for technical underwriting expertise and closer collaboration between insurers, clients and stakeholders.
Jessica Heaume said businesses across the Middle East require underwriting partners that can provide technical expertise and consistent judgement as cyber threats continue to evolve.
“Businesses across the Middle East are navigating a fast changing cyber threat environment, and they need underwriting partners who can bring clarity, consistency and strong technical judgement,” said Jessica Heaume, Head of Cyber, Middle East at HDI Global.
“HDI Global’s focus on disciplined underwriting, technical excellence, and long term partnership aligns with the region’s needs. I look forward to working closely with clients to support resilient growth and help address the gap between cyber exposure and effective risk transfer.”
Lloyd Lui appointed Senior Risk Engineer Construction, Middle East
HDI Global has also expanded its construction risk engineering team with the appointment of Lloyd Lui as Senior Risk Engineer Construction, Middle East.
Lloyd Lui brings more than 13 years of experience across engineering, project risk management and insurance. His career has included roles across Australia, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
HDI Global said Lloyd Lui has worked with organisations including Marsh McLennan, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and Allianz Commercial. Most recently, Lloyd Lui was based in Saudi Arabia, where he worked on major giga projects across the Gulf region.
The company said construction and infrastructure development remain central to economic growth plans across the Middle East. HDI Global noted that projects are becoming more complex in terms of scale, design and stakeholder requirements, increasing the need for specialist engineering risk insight.
“The scale and complexity of development across the GCC demands risk engineering that is practical, collaborative and focused on outcomes,” said Lloyd Lui, Senior Risk Engineer Construction at HDI Global.
“My focus will be on working closely with clients and stakeholders to translate technical risk insights into clear actions that can improve resilience, strengthen risk quality and support better project performance.”
Leadership appointments support regional growth strategy
Willem van Wyk, Senior Executive Officer and Director, Middle East at HDI Global, said the appointments reflect continued investment in specialist expertise across the region.
Willem van Wyk said cyber underwriting and construction risk engineering are areas where technical expertise, disciplined underwriting and local market understanding are increasingly important for clients and brokers.
“These appointments mark an important step in strengthening our Dubai office and expanding the specialist depth we bring to clients and stakeholders in the Middle East,” said Willem van Wyk.
“Jessica and Lloyd each bring a strong track record and highly relevant regional expertise, which will be instrumental as we continue to drive growth and further establish HDI Global as a leading Corporate & Specialty insurer and a long term partner in transformation for brokers and clients in the region.”
HDI Global reports first quarter profit growth
The Middle East expansion follows a positive start to 2026 for HDI Global.
The insurer reported operating profit of EUR 207 million during the first quarter of 2026, compared with EUR 195 million during the same period in 2025. Net income increased by 8 per cent to EUR 152 million.
HDI Global reported a combined ratio of 91.0 per cent and insurance revenue of EUR 2.5 billion for the quarter. Large loss payments totalled EUR 58 million, which the company said was below its pro rata budget for the period.
About HDI Global
HDI Global provides corporate and specialty insurance solutions for SMEs, industrial companies, middle market businesses and corporate clients. The company operates through a global network covering more than 200 countries and territories and manages approximately 5,400 international programmes worldwide.
HDI Global forms part of the Corporate and Specialty Division of the Talanx Group. The division generated approximately EUR 10.3 billion in gross insurance revenue in 2025 and employs more than 5,500 people.
