Richard Hartley

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Richard is a UK qualified accountant who founded the Acumen Group in Bermuda with a vision when founding Acumen to develop a business, valued by every single client, delivering a personal local service to each of Acumen’s clients.

The Group has grown organically from a single employee in 2006 to over 200 today and operates in over 10 jurisdictions without raising any debt or investment. Prior to founding Acumen Richard worked for Deloitte and an SEC registered reinsurer in Bermuda.

Connect with Richard:

Michelle Bester

GLOBAL HEAD OF HR

Michelle joined Acumen in 2024 as the Global Head of HR. She holds a Masters degree in Global HR Management and is a Chartered Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Michelle has extensive experience building HR programs in Sub Sahara Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, LATAM and America. A South African national, she emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2009 where she worked for 10 years. After heading up the Bank of America HR Compliance program for EMEA, she moved to Ireland to build Meta’s International HR Compliance program. In 2023, she relocated back to South Africa and now heads up our global HR function, building and implementing HR solutions across the Acumen Group that transform the employee experience and bring operational efficiency to our HR function.

Connect with Michelle:

Paul Fox

UK MANAGING DIRECTOR

Paul joined Acumen in 2023 to lead the UK recruitment arm of the business. Paul has been recruiting into the London insurance market for 15 years, specialising primarily in sourcing Actuarial and Risk professionals. He joins Acumen to help develop our highly skilled recruitment team and to grow our UK Insurance industry partners.

The UK recruitment team’s deep areas of expertise include Actuarial and Risk Management, Finance, Operations, Compliance and Change and Technology.

Paul is well-networked and highly respected for his market knowledge amongst the CRO’s and Chief Actuaries of the UK general insurance market. He has extensive expertise in both executive search and interim resourcing. He has also developed successful teams of contingent recruiters delivering on difficult-to-fill and time-sensitive assignments.

Connect with Paul:

Nick Briggs

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Nick Briggs is a UK qualified accountant based in the UK and joined Acumen in 2008. He is head of our UK operations and manages the insurance services platform, including run-off services and run-off acquisitions.

Since joining Acumen, he has worked on a number of (re)insurance engagements including COO of a UK reinsurer and CFO of several Bermuda and US (re)insurers. Prior to Acumen, he worked at Enstar Group in Bermuda, an acquirer and manager of large (re)insurance companies in run-off.

Connect with Nick:

Taylor Dever

HEAD OF US – INSURANCE & REINSURANCE

Taylor joined Acumen in 2023 to launch the company’s operations in the United States. He has been partnering with the insurance industry providing recruitment, staffing, and consulting services since 2016. He specializes in actuarial and finance talent while also providing support in areas including claims, underwriting, compliance, and analytics.

During Taylor’s career, he has been able to immerse himself within the US insurance market, attending and speaking at many industry conferences hosted by the SOA, IASA, LIMRA, and LOMA. He was selected as a 2021 Emerging Leader in the insurance industry by AM Best and the APCIA.

Connect with Taylor:

Maureen Erasmus

HEAD OF OUTSOURCED PAYROLL

Maureen joined Acumen in 2018 and is a qualified Accountant with years of experience in outsourced accounting, tax, and payroll services in various industries. She oversees a highly skilled team of Payroll Administrators, Supervisors, and Managers that provides outsourced payroll services to a host of Bermuda and Cayman based clients, ensuring quality of work and compliance with relevant legislation.

Connect with Maureen:

Theo Mouchteros

HEAD OF IT OPERATIONS

As the Head of IT Operations at Acumen Group, Theo has a unique combination of IT expertise and legal acumen. Theo’s legal and technical background underpins a strong emphasis on compliance, ensuring that all IT practices meet rigorous standards.

Working side by side with a team of dedicated IT experts, including specialists from Global Micro Solutions, Theo drives technological innovation while maintaining a steadfast commitment to regulatory adherence. This dual focus on cutting-edge IT solutions and compliance fortifies Acumen Group’s position in the global market, reflecting Theo’s vision of strategic, collaborative, and forward-thinking leadership in the technology space.

Connect with Theo:

Tisha Overton

HEAD OF OUTSOURCED ACCOUNTING

Tisha is a Chartered Accountant who qualified in South Africa and completed her articles in 2018 with Deloitte, Johannesburg. Her professional journey has taken her through diverse industries including Insurance, banking, capital markets, retail, and hospitality, giving her a comprehensive understanding of their financial landscapes.

Joining the Acumen team in 2020, Tisha is responsible for managing our portfolio of international clients, for whom Acumen provides outsourced accounting services.

Connect with Tisha:

Werner Saayman

RECRUITMENT DIRECTOR – SOUTH AFRICA

Werner joined Acumen in 2020 with the vision of growing the Acumen recruitment brand in South Africa. He has extensive experience in finance and accounting, audit, and specialised financial recruitment across a range of industries. Werner provides clients with in-depth market knowledge, and access to established networks of hard-to-find talent, both locally and internationally. His team offers tailor made recruitment solutions, RPO solutions, exclusive search assignments, and interim staffing solutions to clients in South Africa and abroad.

Connect with Werner: