Speaker information: Construction Risk Management

Company	Job Title	Name	Speaker Bio	Speaking At
Independent Board Director	Strategic Risk Advisor & Former Chief Risk & Insurance Officer	Cristina Martinez	As a Qualified Risk Director®, Cristina currently serves as Independent Board Director on the Board of Mupol, the Police Mutual insurance company in Spain; Institute of Actuaries in Spain, where she is a member of the Board and the Sustainability Committee; and the Advisory Board of IMeureka, a PE owned InsurTech, where she chairs the Product Committee and is a member of the Strategy Committee. She is a member of the Sustainability Committee of the European Federation of Risk Management Associations, where she served as Vice-President and Board Member. Also, she is the Director of Resilience Hub for Chapter Zero Spain. Previously, Cristina served on the non-profit boards of the national insurance associations AGERS and IGREA, which she co-founded in 2009; and the Stakeholder Supervisory Board of Directors and Chief Risk Officers Governance Institute in the U.S., where she is faculty member. She has over 20 years of leadership experience in global listed companies serving as Group Chief Risk & Insurance Officer, most recently, as Chief Risk Officer at Sacyr.	Panel discussion: Risk, capital and coverage – aligning insurance strategy with Europe’s infrastructure investors Presentation: From claims to algorithms – underwriting the unknown in the age of AI
Zurich Insurance Company	Head of International Construction, Commercial Insurance	Patrick McBride	Patrick McBride was appointed as Head of International Construction in Zurich’s Global Specialty Construction & Surety team in April 2026. In this role, Patrick leads Zurich’s international Construction operations, with responsibility for strategic growth across the UK, Continental Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific region. He oversees a global team of regional leaders, supported by country heads and underwriting teams. Prior to this role, Patrick McBride served as the Head of Construction Property for U.S. Specialties at Zurich North America, leading the organisation's national efforts in Construction Property.	Panel discussion: Building the digital backbone – managing risk & securing coverage on the new wave of data centre construction projects
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	Partner	Sarah McNally	Sarah is a Partner at international law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer. She is global lead for insurance disputes and works for corporate policyholders on contentious and non-contentious insurance matters. She assists clients on the biggest and most complex insurance matters with a focus on construction, real estate, business interruption, political and credit risk and W&I claims. She recently advised Sky on its successful CAR claim in the English courts. Sarah is ranked in Chambers Global, Chambers UK and Legal 500 as a Leading Partner/Band 1 lawyer for Insurance Litigation for Policyholders.	Panel discussion: Building the digital backbone – managing risk & securing coverage on the new wave of data centre construction projects
AIG	Global Risk Consulting Construction Manager	Abbas Naqvi	Abbas is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the design and construction of civil infrastructure projects comprising rail, train stations, bridges, highways and tunnelling. Abbas leads the AIG Global Engineering Construction Team overseeing engineering activities and responsible for the Construction All Risk (CAR) Engineers and Erection All Risk (EAR) Engineers as well a oversee suppliers providing engineering services.	Invitation-only breakfast workshop: Data centres across the full lifecycle – a comprehensive multi-line approach
Allianz Commercial	Construction Hub Lead Europe	Matthias Neeff	Matthias has built a distinguished career at Allianz, specialising in large corporate construction and engineering underwriting. He has over 25 years' experience in sales and underwriting. He has held a series of increasingly senior sales and underwriting roles in Germany (Frankfurt and Munich) and Canada (Toronto). He then served as Chief Underwriter and later Regional Head of Large Corporate Construction Business across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Last year he was appointed European Head of Large Corporate Construction Business at Allianz Commercial. In this role, he is responsible for the company's strategy for large corporate construction clients and multinational teams across Europe.	Panel discussion: Building the digital backbone – managing risk & securing coverage on the new wave of data centre construction projects
Complex Claims	CEO	Alan Purbrick	Alan Purbrick is an experienced insurance professional, having worked in the industry for over 30 years. His background is construction, engineering and energy. Alan was the founder and CEO of CCi, a company specializing in providing technical time, cost and engineering solutions on some of the World’s largest insurance claims. He is credited with developing Project Monitoring and techniques for solving large and complex delay claims, particularly in relation to DSU. Alan recently became the CEO of Complex Claims, a leading independent loss adjusting company, with offices in the Middle East and London.	Panel discussion: Delay in start-up claims – navigating the evolving claims landscape for major projects
Arcadis	Head of Strategic Research & Insight	Simon Rawlinson	-	Presentation & panel discussion: Managing economic & geopolitical risk in European construction
Aon	Offshore Insurance Specialist	Willem Schrijver	At Aon, which he joined in 2021, Willem served as Industry Director Energy before transitioning into his current role as a Renewables Insurance Specialist. He holds a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Groningen. Willem entered the insurance industry at the beginning of the millennium, working initially in marketing and sales before moving into technical lines. There, he managed a major international construction portfolio servicing onshore and offshore contractors, later establishing risk and control protocols at a specialised submarine cable engineering firm before moving to his current tenure at Aon.	Workshop: Beyond the shoreline – managing residual risk at marine construction interfaces
Aon	Managing Director Aon Global Risk Consulting, UK	Chris Scott	Chris is currently the Managing Director of Aon’ Global Risk Consulting Business in the UK. With a background in Enterprise Risk Management, Chris has also spent the last 10 years helping companies understand, quantify, and manage their cyber exposure and led Aon’s Cyber Risk Consulting UK team for several years before taking on an EMEA wide leadership role as an Executive Director. Chris remains heavily involved in areas of Cyber Risk and Insurance thought leadership (including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI related risks) as well as helping our complex multinational client navigate the volatile landscape of cyber risk. Chris works closely with EMEA and London market broking teams to inform insurance strategy, and advocate on behalf of clients to overcome insurer challenges and contentious control, technology, or governance concerns.	Panel discussion: Cyber risk in construction – strategies for risk managers and insurance buyers
Aon	Managing Director, Construction & Infrastructure	Simon Simpson	Simon has considerable risk and insurance experience in the construction sector both globally and in the UK which has been gained from nearly 34 years in the industry. Prior to taking on the position of Business Leader, Simon has managed the delivery of service for major contractors and projects with complex and demanding requirements. His knowledge and ability to manage both the strategic and operational delivery of service are recognised within the insurance industry. Simon’s role now includes the responsibility for both UK Construction and Infrastructure and the provision of technical and broking support to the Aon network globally. Also included as part of Simon’s team is Aon’s surety offering for both construction and commercial risks.	Panel discussion: Interpreting LEG3 in 2026 – what insurers think and what buyers need to know
Port of Rotterdam N.V.	Risk & Insurance Manager	Nanda Smeets	Nanda has been working at the Port of Rotterdam for eight years, holding various positions before stepping into the role of Risk and Insurance Manager last year. As the first person to hold this position within the company, Nanda is fully responsible for establishing and shaping the role, developing a structured approach to risk management and insurance. Nanda holds a law degree from Leiden University and brings strong analytical and strategic skills to the field of risk management. Before joining the port, Nanda lived and worked in Santiago, Chile, for 2.5 years, gaining international experience in legal and business environments. Passionate about ensuring resilience in complex operations, Nanda focuses on managing risks and insurance solutions that support the port’s long-term success.	Workshop: Beyond the shoreline – managing residual risk at marine construction interfaces
Aon	Chief Commercial Officer, Construction & Infrastructure	Tariq Taherbhai	Tariq is the Chief Commercial Officer for Aon’s Global Construction & Infrastructure (C&I) industry specialty. In his role, Tariq is tasked with developing and implementing the global growth and marketing strategies for the specialty. In addition, Tariq works with other leaders to ensure that the full capabilities and expertise of Aon are properly delivered to the firm’s global C&I clients. Tariq has significant experience with project finance and public private partnerships, having advised on multiple large, complex projects over the past two decades. Before joining Aon, Tariq was vice president of the project legal group at Infrastructure Ontario, with responsibility for all legal and procurement matters related to public private partnerships procured by the Province of Ontario, Canada.	Panel discussion: Operating in a crisis – the importance of resilient risk management & collaboration
SCOR	Head Analyst – Political & Credit Risk	Babek Tavassolie	-	Presentation & panel discussion: Managing economic & geopolitical risk in European construction
Aon	Global Head of Political Risks and Structured Credit	Sarah Taylor	-	Presentation & panel discussion: Managing economic & geopolitical risk in European construction
Aon	Global Claims Leader, Construction & Infrastructure Industry Specialties Claims Leader, Asia	Clarence Ting	Clarence has been working in insurance since 2003. During this time he has been effectively managing Energy, Construction, Machinery Breakdown, Delay Start-Up and Business Interruption claims globally. Prior to joining Aon, he worked with global reinsurance firms leading their major and complex losses in the region. In his current role, he is a member of Aon’s Global Construction & Infrastructure Leadership team and a member of the Global Claims Leadership team delivering significant client value through Aon’s escalation protocols, and dedicated Claims Advocacy. Clarence is empaneled with the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC) and a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID).	Panel discussion: Delay in start-up claims – navigating the evolving claims landscape for major projects
Aon	Head of Alternative Risk Transfer, EMEA	Dan Tomlinson	-	Panel discussion: Evolving risk financing mechanisms – captives, parametric triggers and alternative capital markets
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer	Partner	Fiona Treanor	Fiona is a Partner in the Insurance & Professional Risks team at HSF Kramer. She advises clients on coverage issues and policy disputes involving all types of insurance and reinsurance. She assists clients particularly with claims under energy, property damage and business interruption, professional indemnity, credit risk and political risk insurance, as well as reinsurance contracts. Fiona is ranked as a Next Generation Partner for both Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation and Insurance Litigation for Policyholders in Legal 500 UK. She is also ranked as Up and Coming for Insurance Litigation for Policyholders in Chambers 2026.	Panel discussion: Interpreting LEG3 in 2026 – what insurers think and what buyers need to know
K&L Gates LLP	Partner, Head of Insurance Coverage	Sarah Turpin	Sarah Turpin is a partner in the Insurance Recovery and Counseling practice in London and joint global practice group coordinator. She represents policyholders seeking coverage under a broad range of insurance policies, including Professional Liability, Directors’ and Officers' Liability, Property/Business Interruption, Construction All Risks/DSU, Public/Product Liability and Cyber and Technology Risks. She acts for policyholders in relation to disputed insurance claims, if necessary, through mediation, litigation, or arbitration, and advises on claims notification and claims management issues. Sarah also advises on policy wordings at the pre-contract stage and on the inter-action between local and global policies.	Panel discussion: Weathering the future – climate risk, extreme weather and insurance for European construction
K&L Gates LLP	Partner, Construction Disputes	Matthew Walker	Matthew Walker is an international arbitration, litigation, and dispute resolution partner who focuses on construction law. Matthew acts as arbitrator and counsel in arbitration and has co-authored many leading practitioners' guides to arbitration in Qatar, including for LexisPSL, GAR Know How, Lexis Middle East, and Practical Law for Thomson Reuters. This has seen Matthew recognised in Who's Who Legal as recommended for arbitration in Qatar, as well as Thought Leader for construction. Matthew was awarded Lexology's Client Choice Award (voted on by clients) for 2024 for Arbitration & ADR in Qatar and is listed as a Global Elite Thought Leader by Lexology for his Client Choice accolade. He has been ranked in the UK by Chambers & Partners as Band 3 for Construction: International Arbitration (UK-wide) for 2025 and is recognised in The Legal 500 United Kingdom 2024 as a Recommended Lawyer for international arbitration in London, as well as for insurance litigation (policyholder), and construction: contentious and non-contentious.	Panel discussion: Delay in start-up claims – navigating the evolving claims landscape for major projects
Aon	Director, Strategy and Technology Group	Irina Waltz	Irina is a Consulting Director at Aon, recipient of the 2025 Fin‑Erth Climate Award and co‑author of “Underwriting the Future of Resilience.” With nearly fifteen years of insurance industry experience, she helps clients address complex challenges through strategic innovation, strengthening climate resilience, and growth‑focused initiatives. She also actively participates in industry events and contributes insights aimed at advancing climate resilience and supporting long‑term growth across the sector.	Panel discussion: Weathering the future – climate risk, extreme weather and insurance for European construction