SSP strengthens management team with appointment of managing director for insurer division

SSP, a leading global provider of insurance technology, today announced it has expanded its senior management team with the appointment of Stephen Lathrope as managing director of its insurer division in the United Kingdom.

Lathrope will be responsible for all aspects of the performance of the business unit, including product strategy, project delivery and business development as SSP continues to develop its position in all of its key global markets.

Lathrope joins SSP with a wealth of insurance industry experience, most recently as a partner with Accenture, heading the firm’s insurance industry programme in the UK where he had responsibility for sales and delivery for leading UK and international insurers. Having originally joined Accenture in 1991, he worked with a wide range of insurance businesses, helping to design and implement business and operational strategies, and to drive technology-enabled change.

He will report to SSP chief executive Laurence Walker, who said: “We are delighted to welcome Steve to the senior management team at SSP. With our refreshed solution set in place and insurers across the globe continuing to invest in the replacement or enhancement of legacy IT systems the time is right to capitalise on these market opportunities and ensure we fully meet the needs of our existing and prospective customers.

“Steve has enormous experience and an outstanding track record of achievement in our sector which will be a great asset to SSP as we move forward globally. I look forward to the significant impact that he will have on the future of the division and SSP as a whole, as we pursue our goal of becoming the leading specialist provider of general insurance technology solutions in the world.”

Lathrope commented: “Working as a consultant with insurance companies at all stages of their change initiatives and different phases of the insurance cycle gave me a great opportunity to see at first hand the opportunities and challenges that they have to deal with. The combined pressures emanating from the economic environment, customer / channel expectations, regulation and the need to return to profitable growth mean that the role for superior technology support for insurers’ operations is now greater than ever.

“SSP has significant ambitions for building its business working with insurer clients to address these opportunities and challenges. We have great technology, people and capabilities to help to realise them. SSP is a business that I have admired in the marketplace, so the opportunity to take the lead of the insurer division was irresistible. This is a very exciting time and I am looking forward to playing my part in the next stage of SSP’s development.