Allianz Commercial Appoints Emma Woolley as President Global Specialty and UK Region
By Lauren Towner · 24 August 2026

Allianz Commercial announced today the appointment of Emma Woolley as President Global Specialty and UK Region, subject to the usual regulatory approval. She will join the Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE (AGCS) Board of Management and will organizationally report to Thomas Lillelund, Chief Executive Officer at Allianz Commercial.
Emma will lead Allianz Commercial’s Global Specialty Lines of Business and the UK markets, bringing together oversight of a key growth segment and one of the core Commercial insurance markets. The appointment reflects Allianz Commercial's ambition to further expand its worldwide Specialty business and strengthen its position in the UK market, building on its commitment to delivering market-leading solutions for clients and broker partners. Emma will work closely with Allianz Commercial’s regional Presidents to further expand Allianz’s Specialty portfolio globally as well as with its Chief Underwriting Officer, Vanessa Maxwell Neverton and Chief Distribution Officer, Jeremy Sharpe. She will join Allianz once her current professional commitments have ceased, no later than February 2027.
"Our clear ambition is to be the most trusted commercial insurer in the market. The appointment of Emma, as a leading figure in the global Specialty and UK market, bringing extensive leadership and specialty underwriting experience, together with a deep understanding of the UK markets, reinforces our commitment to this goal and to delivering the best possible service for all our stakeholders. We are delighted to welcome her to our leadership team, and I am looking forward to working with her." said Thomas Lillelund, Chief Executive Officer at Allianz Commercial.
Emma has almost 30 years of experience in the insurance industry with a career spanning executive leadership, compliance, governance, and broking and joins Allianz Commercial from AIG Talbot Underwriting, where she currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of AIG’s Lloyd’s Specialty platform. Prior to that, she was Global Head of Marine for AIG, after spending five years at Lancashire Group, where her final role was as Chief Executive Officer for Lancashire Syndicates. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Canopius Group, Swiss Re and BMS Group.
Companies in this story: BMS Group, Lancashire Insurance Group, Allianz Commercial, Swiss Re, Canopius Group, Talbot Underwriting, AIG, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty, Lloyd
People in this story: Vanessa Maxwell Neverton, Thomas Lillelund, Jeremy Sharpe, Emma Woolley