Lloyd’s of London COO Shirine Khoury-Haq to leave

(Reuters) – Lloyd’s of London SOLYD.UL said here on Wednesday its Chief Operating Officer Shirine Khoury-Haq is stepping down, the third big change this year at the insurance market that covers risks from oil rigs to soccer stars’ legs.

Khoury-Haq, who has been at Lloyd’s for almost five years, worked to digitize the London reinsurance market.

Lloyd’s appointed former QBE Insurance Group (QBE.AX) boss John Neal as chief executive officer in September to replace its first female CEO, Inga Beale, and in May the insurance market’s CFO said he would leave.

The departures follow a tough 2017 for Lloyd’s, when it racked up a 2 billion pound ($2.56 billion) loss after a series of natural disasters.

An immediate priority for any new management will be the launch of a Brussels subsidiary to enable Lloyd’s to continue serving its customers in the European Economic Area after Britain leaves the European.

Lloyd’s, the venerable insurance market that began life in Edward Lloyd’s coffee house in 1688, said Khoury-Haq’s departure date would be confirmed in due course.

Khoury-Haq did not immediately reply to a LinkedIn message from Reuters seeking comment on her resignation.