Sedgwick Appoints Chris Gibson as Middle East Managing Director Following Mike Brogden Retirement

Sedgwick has appointed Chris Gibson as Managing Director for the Middle East, succeeding Mike Brogden who will retire at the end of 2024. This leadership transition highlights the growing importance of specialty claims and risk solutions in a region where massive infrastructure and energy projects are increasing the complexity of loss adjustment.

What was announced

The transition marks the conclusion of an eleven-year tenure for Mike Brogden at Sedgwick. Brogden first joined the firm in 2013 as Country Manager for Qatar before being elevated to Chief Executive Officer for the Middle East in 2019. A chartered surveyor and chartered loss adjuster with three decades of international experience, Brogden has been instrumental in managing some of the region's most high-profile construction and infrastructure loss assignments. While his retirement is effective at the end of the year, the leadership change begins immediately.

Chris Gibson assumes the role of Managing Director, Middle East, bringing nine years of experience operating within Dubai and Qatar. His background is heavily concentrated in major and complex loss and construction claims. In his new capacity, Gibson holds overall responsibility for Sedgwick’s operations across seven distinct markets: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

A primary focus for the new leadership will be the coordination between regional offices and the Global Specialty team based in London. This collaboration is designed to bolster Sedgwick’s capabilities in the aviation, energy, and marine sectors. The firm’s regional service offering remains comprehensive, covering loss adjusting, property, casualty, forensic accounting, third-party administration (TPA), and specialized cyber and technology claims. The appointment comes as the region sees a sustained rise in demand for technical risk solutions and specialty claims handling.

"Mike has made an exceptional contribution to Sedgwick's growth in the Middle East, and I thank him for his leadership and dedication over many years. As demand for specialty claims, loss adjustment and risk solutions continues to grow, the Middle East remains a key market for our business. Chris is ideally positioned to lead our next phase of growth, and I look forward to partnering with him as we continue to enhance our service offering and deliver even greater value to clients across the region."

Neil Gibson, Regional CEO, UK, Ireland, Middle East and Africa.

The companies involved

Sedgwick is recognized as a global leader in risk, benefits, and integrated business solutions. The company operates as a primary partner for the insurance industry, providing technology-enabled claims administration and loss adjusting services. Its market position is defined by its ability to handle the full spectrum of risk, from high-volume retail claims to the most complex industrial disasters. By maintaining a presence in over 60 countries, Sedgwick serves as a critical link between global insurance capital and local technical requirements.

In the Middle East, the company has established a robust infrastructure to support the unique needs of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets. The firm’s local teams provide deep technical expertise that is essential for navigating the regulatory and operational nuances of the seven markets it serves. As the region continues to invest heavily in diversification projects, Sedgwick’s role in managing the associated risks—ranging from marine and energy to forensic accounting—has become a cornerstone of its regional strategy. The company’s ability to combine local boots-on-the-ground expertise with global specialty resources remains its primary competitive advantage in the risk management sector.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has documented Sedgwick’s ongoing efforts to adapt to a changing risk landscape through both structural changes and data-driven insights. Recently, the firm announced it was launching carrier and captive solutions to address the increasing complexity of claims for Managing General Agents (MGAs). This strategic move was accompanied by the appointment of Jason Rogers to lead the new division.

Beyond leadership and structural updates, Sedgwick has provided significant market intelligence. The Sedgwick 2026 Report detailed how climate volatility and artificial intelligence are currently transforming property claims trends. Furthermore, the company’s research into the manufacturing sector revealed that U.S. product recalls are set to top one billion units as pharmaceutical risks continue to surge. These reports highlight Sedgwick’s position as an authority on global risk trends.

What this means

The leadership transition at Sedgwick reflects a broader shift in the Middle Eastern insurance landscape. As the region moves away from traditional construction toward highly specialized energy, aviation, and cyber-risk environments, the demand for "generalist" loss adjusters is rapidly diminishing. This evolution puts immense pressure on local firms that lack the global specialty reach to handle multi-jurisdictional or highly technical losses. For the wider fintech and insurtech sectors, the emphasis on cyber and technology claims in this announcement suggests that digital risk is no longer a niche concern but a core component of regional claims administration. The industry must now determine how to effectively integrate forensic accounting and digital forensics into standard loss adjusting workflows to meet these sophisticated regional demands.