'We've built one of the strongest management teams in the business'

Claims

By Emily Douglas

Nov 24, 2025Share

The following article was written in association with United Risk.

Just two years after its launch in 2023, United Risk has rapidly emerged as one of the world’s top five Managing General Agents (MGAs).

In a recent interview, Chairman Jamie Sahara issued an update on the firm’s global growth, operational scale, and strategic leadership expansion, laying out a confident vision for continued momentum through 2026.

“We are now on the ground in nine countries across four continents, with major offices in key insurance centers including New York, Bermuda, London, Paris, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. Each has been a source of our dramatic growth as we have continued to strengthen our relationships with the more than 30 insurers we represent, further enabling our experienced underwriting team to command a loyal and productive broker base.”

‘We’ve built one of the strongest management teams in the business’

United Risk currently operates 25 property and casualty underwriting programs and employs nearly 600 professionals worldwide. The company’s ability to scale rapidly and secure strategic partnerships has been central to its positioning as a significant global MGA. In addition to growth figures, Sahara announced that two new programs are set to launch by year-end, expanding United Risk’s portfolio and enhancing its market reach.

To support this trajectory, United Risk also introduced a strengthened leadership team with four key appointments. Hayden Smith has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of United Risk worldwide. Andrew Lucas has been appointed General Counsel, Gregg Holtmeier joins as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), and Patrick Watson takes on the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

“With the addition of Andrew Lucas, Gregg Holtmeier, and Patrick Watson, we’ve built one of the strongest management teams in the business,” Sahara said. “Our insurance entrepreneurs have the supporting infrastructure to readily capture market share, standing upon our financial, operational, and philosophically forward-looking corporate culture.”

Sahara noted that the expanded C-suite marks the completion of a leadership build-out aimed at providing robust support across all verticals of the business. Here, he emphasized the collaborative efforts of current team members who had taken on multiple responsibilities during the company’s initial growth phase. Among them, Rick Christofer, who Sahara credited for his ability to manage key broker and underwriter relationships while supporting capital partner development.

“With Gregg now focused on capital providers such as reinsurers, insurers, and sidecar capacity, Rick can concentrate fully on our relationships with underwriters, agents, and brokers - which alone is a really big job,” Sahara added.

As United Risk enters its third year, the company appears poised for further expansion, leveraging a deep bench of insurance expertise and global infrastructure. Sahara closed by reiterating the firm’s commitment to building a multibillion-dollar, multinational insurance platform rooted in entrepreneurial execution and institutional scale.

“We applaud our entire esteemed leadership team and welcome Andrew, Gregg, and Patrick to United Risk,” said Sahara.

Meet the team

Mr. Hayden Smith, United Risk’s CEO, previously served as VP of M&A at Enstar Group and earlier as head of Ceded Reinsurance for StarStone (a global specialty carrier jointly owned by Enstar and Stone Point Capital). Before entering the world of insurance, Hayden enjoyed a successful professional athletic career in both Rugby (English Premiership, Saracens) and American football (NFL, New York Jets). Hayden holds a BSc in Finance and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mr. Rick Christofer, United Risk’s President, previously served as a Specialty Product Executive at AIG Private Client Group. Earlier in his career, Rick held roles at Guy Carpenter, General Reinsurance, and The Hartford. Rick holds a BA in Economics from the University of Notre Dame where he played varsity soccer for four years.

Mr. Andrew Lucas, United Risk’s General Counsel, was formerly a partner at Clyde & Co LLP, advising insurance-sector clients on a wide variety of companies-market and Lloyd’s matters, including mergers and acquisitions, as well as commercial, corporate governance, and regulatory matters.

Mr. Alexander Amezquita, United Risk’s Chief Financial Officer, was previously CFO at Herbalife (NYSE: HLF; ~$5bn global revenue). Prior to Herbalife, Alex was an investment banker focused on mergers and acquisitions at Moelis & Company (NYSE: MC) and Centerview Partners. Alex began his investment banking career working in the M&A group at Merrill Lynch, and holds an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and both Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Mr. Gregg Holtmeier, United Risk’s Chief Commercial Officer, most recently served as Chief Strategy Officer at BMS, where he played a pivotal role in redefining the firm’s reinsurance arm, overseeing significant operational and strategic enhancements including leadership of the MGA practice and the development of new capacity and capital solutions. Previously, Gregg served as Global Head of Casualty for JLT Re. Gregg holds a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College.

Mr. Patrick Watson, United Risk’s Chief Operating Officer, brings more than 21 years of experience in insurance company operations, including sales and product development, giving him a comprehensive understanding of how to scale complex organizations while maintaining agility and discipline. Previously, Patrick held leadership positions at Applied Underwriters, most recently as Director of Program Development, where he played a key role in building operational infrastructure and process efficiencies for MGAs across the Property and Casualty marketplace. Patrick holds a degree in Accounting from the University of Nebraska.

Find out more about United Risk here.