Political Risk & Credit

Navaid Farooq

Head of Political Risk and Credit

Since entering the world of insurance in 2002, I’ve worked for Zurich Financial Services and Catlin. I also ran an MGA for four years before I joined Convex.

The chance to help build another business from scratch was what appealed to me about Convex. The clean balance sheet was another draw, and I know the kinds of clients I work with will appreciate it too.

I also already knew and respected the senior management team at Convex. Their experience in this line of business means they’ll be able to be supportive at various points in the cycle. And the fact that they’ve lived through multiple market cycles gives them a deep understanding that makes us unique.

The combination of building analytical tools from the ground up and taking a very client-centric approach is ideal for me. It’s also something the market needs more of – and will help us serve our clients.

We’re a team of specialist underwriters with a total of 55 years’ experience in the business. We apply this experience, along with Convex’s unique culture, to engage with our clients in a true partnership.

We have built our data and analytics tools from the ground up. Over time, this will give us a better understanding of both the market and the companies we work with. So, we can tailor our offer to them, and price our products more precisely.

We also apply a level of transparency that our clients have not experienced before. This in turn leads to a higher degree of engagement and client-centricity – in whatever cycle the market finds itself. It’s an approach the market needs, and one that Convex delivers for its clients.

We work with major international banks, large commodity traders and corporates that have large foreign direct investments in emerging markets.

Investing in those markets can be complex and risky. Governments sometimes act unlawfully, monetary policy can change quickly, and political action can cause losses. Convex provides an insurance solution to assist our banking clients to mitigate the risks when they lend to corporates and sovereign institutions. We cover commodity traders’ transactions around the world and insure investors against emerging market risks including expropriation, political violence and forced abandonment.

Our clients are expert at working with uncertainty and risk, but the current climate is testing them more than ever. The Convex team’s experience, transparent approach and intelligent use of data make us the ideal partners.