To provide service which is fast, attentive, thoughtful and deliberate, providing brokers and corporate clients with exactly what they need.

We formed a team of specialists: impeccably qualified; hugely experienced; and sparkling with talent, supporting each other and you.

Create a positive, values driven working culture which encourages the creativity and bravery of our team to learn, share and contribute to the success of our firm, the work of our client/partners as well as raising standards within Specialty lines. 

Design and implement processes for creating insurance solutions, enabled by our own bespoke proprietary innovative and effective technology we accelerated the speed at which our solutions can be provided. We believe in data, to better inform the decision making of our empowered underwriters.

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The Specialty Insurance
movers and shakers

In the world of Underwriting we are difference makers.

The Rising Edge Team

The Leaders

Philippe Gouraud

CEO and founder

International insurance leader with over 30 years’ experience in the Global and London insurance industry. I judge our own performance based on what our business partners and clients say of us.

Yoel Brightman

Managing Director, Head of Underwriting, founder

Experienced D&O leader with 17 years of underwriting experience and portfolio management.

Owen Dacey

Head of Claims and General Counsel

UK qualified solicitor with 10 years experience handling international management and professional liability claims.

Niki M. Demirbilek

Managing Director and founder

Managing Director and qualified lawyer in Germany and New York, vastly experienced having held senior positions in several blue-chip Insurance and Law firms. Niki founded AMANIKI.

Miles Murphy

COO and FD

A Chartered Accountant with 30 years global operations experience across both commercial and consumer insurance.

Isabel Alvarez

Head of HR and Communications

FCIPD Qualified Employment Relations and People expert with an Industrial Relations Degree and broad experience.

D&O Underwriters

Eleanor Eglintine

Underwriting Team Manager

ACII qualified D&O expert with 9 years experience in the London market as Client Executive, Broker and Underwriter.

Jamie Banks

Senior Underwriter

A Directors and Officers expert with 6 years of experience in the London market and BSc (hons) in Economics and Politics.

Tom Dickman

Senior Underwriter

Tom has worked in the London insurance market for nine years since graduating with a History degree.

Hamza King

Assistant Underwriter

An ex-think tank policy researcher with an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from LSE who founded the Phlexible Philosophy website and podcast.

Lisa Didia

Finance Assistant

Lisa recently graduated in PPE from the Uni. of Manchester. She is looking forward to a long career in finance administration.

Aneesha Pancha

Underwriting Opps. Manager

Aneesha holds a BSc in Sports Science and has been an D&O Underwriting Assistant, and a Project Analyst at the Bank of England.

W&I Underwriters

Emanuela Mercadante

M&A Underwriter

Emanuela is a dual qualified Solicitor and Italian Lawyer, highly experienced in corporate and commercial cross-border transactions.

Martin Rauhut

Analyst M&A Insurance

Martin holds a degree in Business Law and has worked as a Legal Consultant in e-commerce and trans-national commerce.

Jutta Woodhall

Frankfurt Office Manager

Jutta steers our W&I underwriting process with timely NDA processing, submissions dynamics and daily office operations.

Non-Executive Directors

Kelly Lyles

Non Executive Director

International insurance leader with 35 years’ experience in underwriting and general management in global commercial insurance. Has lived and worked in the United States, the United Kingdom and France and has held global roles based in London with remits covering Europe, AsiaPac, LatAm and the USA and Canada.

Nick Moore

Non Executive Director

Certified Business Psychologist, specialising in leadership and creating high performing teams. Nick was a serial entrepreneur in the music industry in the 1990s, culminating in co-founding the UK’s first music dotcom. He has spent the last 2 decades helping various businesses scale up to become leaders in their sectors.