A Leadership Team with Nearly 100 Years of Combined Industry Expertise

Meet the team

Driven by expertise, committed to delivering exceptional value to our clients

Our leadership at Blue Ocean Reinsurance Group is comprised of seasoned professionals who are experts in their fields, each bringing unique insights and industry knowledge. Beyond our leadership, our team is a diverse group of specialists from various backgrounds, ensuring a broad range of perspectives and solutions for our clients. This combination of deep experience and diverse expertise allows us to navigate the complexities of the reinsurance landscape and deliver tailored solutions that drive success. 

Adrian Lynch

CEO

  • Adrian has 30 years of experience across Alternative Risk, Reinsurance, Captives, Brokerage,  Life, Annuity , as well as Capital Raising and Private Placement Life Insurance (PPLI) in a career that has been spent between Ireland, New York and the Cayman Islands. He has held a variety of roles as Chairman, Founder, CEO, Managing Director, Chief Commercial Officer to Director of Business Development giving him a range and depth of experience within PLCs and Private Companies across all levels of Strategy and Operations. 

    Adrian is a frequent contributor to Industry publications and a regular speaker at Industry conferences and events and has played a pivotal role in driving Caymans nascent Reinsurance business.

    Adrian holds a degree in Insurance and French from University of Limerick, Ireland and is a member of the Insurance Institute of London & Dublin.

Ruwan Jayasekera

COO

  • Ruwan holds an insurance career spanning more than 25 years, including 15 years dedicated to insurance regulation within the Cayman Islands

    He possesses a multifaceted breadth of experience within the insurance industry, encompassing areas such as overseeing business operations, developing and managing business continuity plans, and handling life insurance underwriting and claims handling.

    Additionally, he excels in conducting strategic assessments of (re)insurers and intermediaries’ risk management strategies and compliance frameworks, including AML/CFT/PF.

    Ruwan is an Associate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (“CII”) in the United Kingdom and holds the Chartered Insurer designation awarded by CII. He holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Nico Kleine Punte

Chief FINANCIAL Officer

  • Nico brings over a decade of experience navigating the complexities of the Caribbean insurance and reinsurance market. Nico has extensive expertise in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance. He also has a thorough understanding of regulatory reporting requirements for Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, and Eastern Caribbean territories.

    Nico has a proven track record of success in managing financial reporting, overseeing annual external audits, and delivering accurate and timely management reporting. His career spans diverse roles at PwC (South Africa and Cayman Islands), Island Heritage, and the BF&M Group, where he led initiatives in management reporting, FP&A, financial reporting, regulatory reporting, profitability projects and efficiency projects. This breadth of experience provides him with a comprehensive understanding of the insurance industry from multiple perspectives.

    Nico is a Chartered Accountant of South Africa (CA, SA) and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). He holds a Bachelor of Accounting (B.Acc) from Stellenbosch University and an Honours Bachelor of Accounting (B.Acc Hons) from the University of South Africa.

Quintin Smuts

Head of Financial Reporting

  • Quintin Smuts has over a decade of experience within the Cayman Islands insurance sector and across broader multinational environments. His professional background spans in industries such as insurance management, audit, and multinational trading and investment companies.

    Quintin is recognised for his strong technical foundation, commercial acumen, and disciplined approach to governance, positioning him as a trusted finance leader in complex, regulated, and multinational settings.

    He is a Chartered Accountant of South Africa (CA(SA)) and a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), as well as a Chartered Global Management Accountant (ACMA, CGMA) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

    He holds a Bachelor of Accounting (B.Acc) and an Honours Bachelor of Accounting (B.Acc Hons) from the University of Pretoria.

Chad Smith

Senior Vice President

  • Chad has over 12 years of experience spanning industries such as insurance management, private equity and professional services that has been spent between Canada and the Cayman Islands.

    Chad has held various senior finance and accounting roles during his career, developing a deep understanding of how to manage companies from the finance function outwards. Additionally, Chad has developed a proficiency in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), both contributing to and leading numerous M&A transactions, leveraging his strategic insights and financial acumen to facilitate successful deals.

    Chad is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and Prince Edward Island. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Prince Edward Island.

Derek Shanahan

Senior Vice President

  • Derek has 20 years of experience in the (re)insurance industry, with his career spanning both Ireland and the Cayman Islands.

    He has a strong background in Insurance and Risk Management, having majored in these fields during his Bachelor of Business Studies.

    Derek combines technical knowledge with practical experience, which has been instrumental in his career to date. Currently, he serves as a Senior Vice President at Blue Ocean Reinsurance Group, where he leads strategic initiatives and oversees the day-to-day delivery of management services for client portfolios.

    Derek has a proven track record of client relationship management and operational excellence. He has previously held roles at Aon, Eni SpA and Gallaghers.

    Derek is an Associate member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) in the United Kingdom and holds the Chartered Insurer designation awarded by CII. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree.

Sefani Busby-Thornhill

Senior Vice President

  • Sefani is a finance professional with experience in reinsurance, both in life and annuity and P&Cbusiness lines. She has played an integral role in building and strengthening the finance and reinsurance operations of newly established and mature reinsurance entities, ensuring sound governance, transparency, and alignment with financial reporting frameworks and regulatory standards.

    Known for her strategic insight and meticulous approach, Sefani combines technical precision with a collaborative leadership style. Her experience spans financial reporting, operational design, and cross-border coordination, supporting clients in achieving sustainable growth and effective risk management.

    Sefani is a Chartered Professional Accountant as well as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist. She holds a degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of the West Indies.

Nancy Manyange

Vice President, Compliance & Risk

  • Nancy is a highly accomplished financial professional with extensive experience in financial services and industrial markets.

    She brings expertise in audit, accounting, financial reporting and compliance, having held pivotal roles at a global insurance manager and a Big-4 accounting firm. In these positions, she was responsible for managing client accounts and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

    Nancy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi and is a Certified Chartered Accountant (ACCA) as well as a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (ACAMS).

Apsara De Silva

Legal and Compliance Officer

  • Apsara brings in 20 years of legal experience; 15 years as a corporate counsel advising on corporate, commercial and regulatory compliance matters across a multitude of jurisdictions in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and 3 plus years as a legislative counsel drafting legislation and regulations with Qatar Financial Center Regulatory Authority.

    She is specialized in structuring legal entities, in a variety of on-shore and off- shore jurisdictions, advising on regulatory compliance, commercial transactions including insurance and reinsurance, trading of commodities, cross-border transactions, corporate governance, syndicated loans, contract formation and negotiation, drafting legislation, providing strategic advice to Boards and senior management with respect to business transactions.

    Apsara’s expertise across the reinsurance/insurance sector is both diverse and widespread and encompasses developing new products for global insurance programmes, drafting/reviewing of policy wording, advising on placement of insurance/reinsurance, advising on reinsurance transactions where syndicated loans are involved and reinsurance optimization.

    Apsara holds an LLB from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka and LLM (Banking and Finance) from Queens Mary University, London. She is a member of Bar Association in Sri Lanka, registered Corporate Secretary in Sri Lanka and an approved draftsman by DIFC Wills and Probate Registry in the United Arab Emirates.

Dilukshika Fernando

Compliance Officer

  • Dilukshika is a multi-qualified Chartered Insurer with over 15 years’ experience in the Insurance Industry. Her expertise ranges from overseeing business operations which include underwriting, claims, servicing, group life, customer service, complaint management, reinsurance, actuarial and product development.

    In addition she also possesses experience in risk management, regulatory reporting, compliance and audit.

    She has functioned as a Specified Officer in a Multi-National Insurance Company and is currently serving as a Non-Executive Independent Director at a Sri Lankan Insurance Company.

    Dilukshika is an Associate Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII), Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Dip M (UK) ACIM).

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