Global claims services provider McLarens has appointed Ollie Waterman as Regional Director – Middle East, effective 1 October 2026.
Waterman will succeed Malcolm Addy, who plans to retire at the end of 2026. Addy helped develop McLarens’ Middle East business and expand the loss adjuster’s regional presence.
Waterman currently serves as Commercial Development Director – Middle East at McLarens. His existing work has focused on developing the company’s commercial position and relationships across the region ahead of the leadership transition.
Mahesh Ganesan will continue as Operations Director – Middle East. He oversees operational standards and consistency across McLarens’ regional business and will work alongside Waterman under the new management structure.
Waterman is a Chartered Loss Adjuster with experience handling major and complex claims. He began his career working on large losses in the London insurance market before moving to Dubai in 2022 with a global adjusting company.
He later became Head of Property for the Middle East. The position included responsibility for major regional losses, financial management and leadership of the property team before he joined McLarens.
As Regional Director, Waterman will take responsibility for McLarens’ Middle East operations. His remit covers property and casualty alongside construction and engineering work, plus marine and speciality claims.
He will work with McLarens Aviation and Lloyd Warwick International operations across the region. The role also connects the Middle East business more closely with McLarens’ London operation and wider EMEA teams.
McLarens is developing a more connected regional operating structure under EMEA Managing Director Steven Wallace. Waterman’s appointment forms part of the company’s plan to coordinate specialist claims expertise across Middle Eastern and European offices.
Wallace said Addy played an important part in establishing McLarens in the Middle East and thanked him for his contribution to the business.
He described Waterman as a practitioner-led executive with technical experience, commercial judgement and knowledge of the regional insurance market. Wallace said Waterman and Ganesan provide the leadership structure McLarens wants as it develops its Middle East operations.
Waterman said McLarens has built its regional business around owned offices and locally based insurance expertise. The company also operates across several specialist claims disciplines rather than relying on a narrow service model.
His focus will centre on bringing regional teams closer together and improving access to specialist resources across McLarens. He also wants the company positioned to handle complex losses arising across Middle Eastern insurance markets.
McLarens continues investing in the Middle East as part of its wider EMEA strategy. The company operates wholly owned entities in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
An established affiliate network extends its reach across other GCC markets. McLarens uses this structure to combine regional claims expertise with resources available through its international operations.
The company expects the model to support insurers and other clients dealing with increasingly complex commercial risks across the Middle East, where large property losses, construction claims and speciality exposures require both local knowledge and access to wider technical expertise.
