Directors
Andy Shaw
Managing Director
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Andy started his career in insurance in 1991 in a brokerage and has since worked for a variety of SME and large insurers and brokers. He specialises in scheme insurance after finding niche opportunities within the industry and subsequently developing them into businesses. Andy is both a Director of Acasta and a Director of AEICL.
Shaun Leach
Director
Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk
Shaun has worked in Finance since graduating 16 years ago, working across various industries. Notably within the cosmetic surgery industry, during which time he became a Chartered Accountant after completing CIMA, following on from AAT. Shaun’s worked in the insurance industry for the last five years, gaining experience managing a Finance team predominantly in ATE insurance. Having started with Acasta a year ago as Financial Controller, Shaun has now taken up the role of Director. He’s looking forward to the continuing management and development of the Finance team and driving the continued success of the company with the established Board.
Underwriters
Remi Cosgrove
Head of Underwriting and Products
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Lauren Souness
Product Analysis Manager
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Lauren has worked in the motor sales industry for over 6 years and has recently joined the Acasta team as the Underwriting Team Leader. Lauren is excited to develop her knowledge of underwriting and broaden her expertise within the insurance sector. As Underwriting Team Leader, Lauren is responsible for the management of the underwriting department along with ensuring that products are in line with regulatory requirements, observing market trends and assessing and analysing potential risks.
Muhammad Ayaz
Underwriter
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Muhammad joined the Acasta team in early 2023, bringing with him an adept and innovative approach to the Underwriting department. After graduating from the University of Leicester with a degree in Maths, he has been able to apply his various expertise in sales and Microsoft Excel to his work here at Acasta and has a keen eye for detail. His work currently involves assessing current and new brokers’ performances and offering appropriate advice for the brokers and the company.
With an aspiration for sustainability and helping the world be more eco-friendly, he is also eager to assist with the company’s desire to lower carbon emissions and eventually, carbon neutrality.
Thomas Reid
Underwriter
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Tom joined Acasta in early 2023 as a Level 2 Underwriter. After coming from a background working within the claims management sector, he joined Acasta to develop his underwriting and risk management skills and gain valuable experience within the financial services industry.
Mackenzie Smith
Underwriter
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Mackenzie joined our Insurance Trainee Programme in September 2023, to fully explore the insurance underwriting sector and find his ideal role. Since then he has found a calling for Underwriting and has joined the Underwriting department as a Level 1 Underwriter. Mackenzie will be supporting the department in maintaining broker relationships and broadening his own skill set.
Bilal Iqbal
Product Analyst
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Bilal initially joined Acasta in 2022 as an auditor after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a degree in Law. He has a strong legal background, with experience in dealing with small-track claims. Bilal recently joined the underwriting team as a product analyst, where he will be liaising with brokers and to participate in product development.
Daniel Baguley
Junior Product Analyst
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Dan joined Acasta in October 2024 as a Junior Product Analyst after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University with a degree in Computer Science. With a technical background he brings his good attention to detail and problem-solving ability to this role. Dan wishes to gain valuable analytical skills from this position that will allow him to develop as a professional and help his team be successful.
Lydia Herbert
Junior Product Analyst
Email: underwriting@acastaeurope.co.uk
Lydia began work at 16 after completing her GCSE’s a year early. She started as an apprentice in Business Admin then moved on to a Data Analysis apprenticeship. Lydia worked as a qualified data analyst for 4 years before joining Acasta as a Junior Product Analyst. She brings her knowledge of data and customer experience to this role.
Sales and Distribution
Compliance
Rebecca Macfadyen
Head of Compliance & Data Protection Officer
Email: compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk
Rebecca joined us with 10+ years in the Consumer Credit and Insurance Financial Services industry, working for a variety of small-medium sized general insurance, credit broking and credit lending firms across the North-West. Additionally, Rebecca has worked as a specialist in FCA Regulatory Compliance for 8+ years, which started with Second Line Compliance Monitoring. At Acasta, Rebecca will be responsible for overseeing the Compliance team, ensuring Acasta’s compliance with all relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards in the insurance sector. Rebecca is excited to be supporting the growth of Acasta through the ongoing development of the Compliance function in line with the business trajectory.
Sabah Ali
Compliance Advisory Officer
Email: Compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk
Sabah joined Acasta Europe in 2022, following her graduation in Law from Lancaster University. With a solid legal foundation, she quickly became an essential part of the team. Initially serving as Compliance Support, she led significant projects including onboarding due diligence and the development of Compliance Plans. Her efforts and expertise led to her promotion to Compliance Advisory Officer, where she continues to offer expert compliance guidance to the team.
Kate Penny
Compliance Monitoring Officer
Email: compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk
Kate joined us in 2024 with over a decade of experience in the financial service industry, developing her expertise across multiple areas of the sector. With a recent history of working within a Second Line Compliance Monitoring team at a FTSE 250 company, Kate has developed her understanding of regulatory frameworks and is now looking to expand on this within the insurance industry. Kate is looking forward to supporting the Head of Compliance by conducting monitoring reviews, whilst also providing advice & guidance off the back of monitoring activities.
Harry Tomlinson
Compliance Officer
Email: Compliance@acastaeurope.co.uk
Harry recently transitioned from the Underwriting department to the compliance team, where he will develop and implement policies to ensure product compliance with legal and regulatory standards. In this role, He will conduct monitoring reviews, collaborate with agents to resolve non-compliance issues, and support the onboarding of new agents through due diligence.
Harry will assist the Head of Compliance in establishing regulatory standards and maintaining accurate records for audits and inspections. Additionally, he will help manage the compliance and complaints inbox to ensure smooth communication within the team.
Claims
Gareth Crosbie
Head of Claims
Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk
Gareth has 34 years of experience in Claims, working for insurers and MGA’s leading multi-site teams handling various product lines including commercial property, real estate, casualty, motor, financial lines, standard and non-standard home products together with various niche schemes.
Gareth is responsible for the claims function across both Acasta Europe and AEICL.
Corey Green
Claims Team Leader
Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk
Corey joined Acasta as the Claims Team Leader, bringing with him 6 years of experience working within claims, for insurance products covering Pet, Gadget, Income Protection, GAP, Excess Protection, and 3rd party Liability. Additionally, Corey has worked in customer-facing roles for 10 years, building strong interpersonal skills. Here at Acasta, Corey is responsible for handling claims and the reports for each claim. Corey is a keen learner and is always looking forward to learning & developing his claims knowledge, in all areas.
Thomas Heathcote
Claims Handler
Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk
Thomas joined Acasta as part of the Claims team, previously working in claims for the last 3 years. With over ten years of experience in customer service-based roles, Thomas provides immeasurable support to the entire department.
Carla Shepherd
Claims Administrator
Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk
Carla joined Acasta in September 2023, eager to challenge herself, and aspires to develop her expertise within the department. Carla is on a dedicated path to enhance her skill set, particularly in the realm of insurance claims, showcasing her commitment to professional development.
Danielle Madeley
Claims Handler
Email: claims@acastaeurope.co.uk
Danielle has worked within the motor claims industry since 2018 and has worked within customer-facing industry since 2015. Danielle has worked across insurance, legal expenses and accident management gaining a vast amount of knowledge within the industry and priding herself on her claims handling and customer service. She has joined Acasta bringing this knowledge with her and also learning new realms of the claims industry. Danielle is thoroughly enjoying building her skill-set with Acasta and help build long-lasting relationships with our brokers.
Data & Analytics
Joseph Lees
Head of Data and Analytics
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Joseph has worked as a Pricing Actuary since 2012 for Willis Towers Watson, and then SCOR across several different lines of business. He joined Acasta in 2023 to expand the pricing and analytic capabilities of the company. He is a Fellow of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and has a master’s degree in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College London.
Andreas Levendi
Data Analyst
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Andreas joined the team as a Junior Data Analyst in 2021 after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor’s degree in Financial Mathematics. He has since been promoted to Data Analyst. Amongst his other responsibilities, he mentors other professionals within the team, providing invaluable support to the company.
Ali Abbas
Junior Data Analyst
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Ali joined the team in 2023 after recently graduating with a 2:1 bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. After developing a keen interest in Data Analytics, Ali completed the IN 4.0 Bootcamp from October 2022 to March 2023. He currently works as a Junior Data Analyst, where he aims to apply and develop his skill-set further.
Prathmesh Shah
Reserving Actuary
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Prathmesh recently joined Acasta in 2024 after completing his master’s degree in actuarial management from Bayes Business School (erst Cass). Prior to which, he worked as an Actuarial Associate at Gen Re (Berkshire Hathaway Group), wherein he gained experience across various actuarial domains. He is a nearly qualified actuary from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and an active volunteer at Staple Inn Actuarial Society and Indian Actuarial Network, UK.
Marketing & Operations
Ellie Bower
Head of Operations and Marketing
Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk
After completing her Marketing degree, Ellie became a Marketing Executive at Acasta Europe whilst also working for an insurance broker. Her experience within the insurance industry has allowed her to develop a wide range of skills. In her current role, she manages marketing and operations for the business. Among her responsibilities are managing our communication channels, events, and daily internal processes.
Isaac Shaw
Marketing and Operations Executive
Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk
Isaac joined our Insurance Trainee Programme for a hands-on learning experience across all insurance facets. After working in each department, Isaac found a passion to pursue the marketing and operations side of the business. Eager to develop within the team, Isaac is poised to bring a fresh perspective and dedication to our team.
Claudia Coote
Senior Marketing Executive
Email: marketing@acastaeurope.co.uk
Claudia recently joined Acasta Europe as Senior Marketing Executive, bringing with her five years of diverse marketing experience across various sectors. Prior to joining Acasta Europe, she held key marketing roles where she excelled in the development of campaigns and strengthening communications. A Business and Marketing graduate, she is eager to apply her knowledge and innovative ideas to drive the company’s success.
Ahmad Raza
Systems and Operations Coordinator
Email: info@acastaeurope.co.uk
Ahmad completed an apprenticeship in Software Development in 2019 before moving onto a full-time role as a junior developer where he worked with C# programming and succeeded in getting my ISTQB Foundation certificate. After that, he moved on to working for Flowbird as a test engineer to widen his knowledge and experience before finally arriving at Acasta as the operations and systems coordinator and is looking forward to the new challenges and experience this role has to offer.
Accounts
Tracy Evans
Assistant Financial Accountant
Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk
Tracy joined the Acasta team in 2018. Since gaining her AAT qualification Tracy has worked in finance for over 30 years. She has worked in several different industries and has experience in all aspects of accounts. Tracy works closely with the financial controller looking after the company accounts.
Charlotte Banski-Grayson
Assistant Financial Accountant
Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk
Charlotte joined us in May 2021. She will work within the finance team looking after the company accounts. She has worked in finance for the last 14 years for a Legal Expenses Insurance company where she studied AAT and looks forward to using her experience here at Acasta.
James Bidmead
Client Account Manager
Email: accounts@acastaeurope.co.uk
James joined Acasta in September 2020 as part of the Accounts team, to focus on the running of client accounts. James has experience working within an accounts capacity in the insurance field having previously worked at an Insurance Brokerage for 8 years. He’s gained knowledge of a variety of general insurance products and is looking forward to applying that experience to his role at Acasta.
Direct GAP
We have been working with Acasta since 2018 and find that both their product offering and support provided are second to none.
Throughout the business, you will find the same professional and approachable culture. This, coupled with their openness to discussing new ideas and lines of business, is very refreshing within the industry, and we look forward to continuing to grow our partnership into the future.
Matt Eland, Operations Director at Direct GAP
