Gary Head
Chief Underwriting Officer
Gary Head was appointed Chief Underwriting Officer at Optio in March 2025. He joined the business following a distinguished tenure at AXA, where he served as Director of Schemes & Delegated Authority from January 2020, and subsequently led the Financial Lines & Specialty teams from January 2022. During his time at AXA, the business was recognised as Schemes Insurer of the Year at the Insurance Age Broker Awards in both 2023 and 2024.
Prior to AXA, Gary held several senior leadership roles at Hiscox, including six years as Chief Underwriting Officer for Hiscox UK and three years as CUO for Hiscox USA. Earlier in his career, he gained extensive experience in the London Market, working for a number of leading broking houses.
Gary holds a degree in Physics from the University of Nottingham and is an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute (ACII). Outside of work, he is married with four children and two dogs, and enjoys running, skiing, football, and spending time with family and friends