Relm Insurance Ltd. (Relm) is a Bermuda-domiciled specialty insurance carrier serving emerging industries, with a focus on digital assets / Web 3.0, cannabis and psychedelics.
Launched in 2019 to address the scarcity of traditional insurance capacity available to nascent markets, Relm is playing an active role in bolstering the resilience of the industries we serve. Our unrivaled industry expertise and willingness to collaborate on creative solutions make Relm a highly sought-after risk partner for businesses and institutions operating at the forefront of innovation.
Relm is licensed and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and holds an ‘A, Exceptional’ Financial Stability Rating from Demotech, Inc., a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization (NRSRO) serving the insurance industry.
Meet Our Team
Joseph Ziolkowski
Co-Founder & CEO
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Joe is the Co-Founder & CEO of Relm. His decade-long track record as a risk management professional and insurance entrepreneur includes the successful launch of two insurance company startups along with execution of alternative risk financing and risk transfer solutions for national and multinational companies. Joe received a BS in Management & Business from Skidmore College in 2004. Joe holds the professional designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Associates in Underwriting Management from The Institutes.
Jeffrey Jabon
Head of Underwriting Operations, Strategic Projects & Products
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Jeffrey has 25+ years of P&C experience and is currently a Senior advisor to several innovative start-up enterprises. Prior to being an independent advisor, Jeffrey worked at EY where he was Senior Manager on the Americas FSO Advisory Team responsible for insurance operations improvement, underwriting performance consulting and business transformation projects.
Prior to EY, Jeffrey spent 15 years in the Bermuda insurance market as a consultant, underwriter and most recently, SVP of Financial Lines for Chubb Bermuda, presiding over the global portfolio of financial management and professional liability products.Jeffrey was also a registered Lloyd’s cover-holder for that Company’s London syndicate and led underwriting teams in Bermuda and London.
Jeffrey was responsible for the growth, management and underwriting compliance of that platform in conjunction with Lloyd’s market standards.
Jeffrey previously worked in New England as an insurance subject matter expert and business analyst for a database technology start-up. Before then, he worked as a Business Analyst and Financial Lines Underwriter for Professional and Management Liability Risks for AIG.
Carol Faries
SVP, Finance and Accounting
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Carol joined Relm with nearly two decades of experience in the Bermuda insurance marketplace. Carol serves as the Financial Controller for Relm, proving paramount in the company’s establishment and maintenance of their financial and regulatory requirements.
Prior to joining Relm, Carol served as the Assistant Controller for Bermuda Fire and Marine Insurance Group. With more than 16 years of service for BF&M, Carol was responsible for management and regulatory reporting along with supporting cross- functional teams including IT resource allocation and anti- money laundering.
Carol was also responsible for annual IFRS statements and served as the primary contact for interim and annual audits.Carol is a Certified Professional Accountant and Certified Management Accountant.
Trevor Nelson
VP of Risk
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Prior to joining Relm as VP of Risk, Trevor spent nearly a decade in internal audit roles for some of the largest insurers and reinsurers in the Bermuda market. Trevor has lead group-wide risk assessments, executed risk-based annual audit plans and implemented and managed Sarbanes-Oxley and COSO 13 compliance for NYSE publicly traded reinsurers. Trevor has extensive experience developing internal control frameworks and process documentation, deficiency remediation plans, along with preparation of reports for Senior Management, committee and board members.
Prior to his internal audit experience, Trevor worked at PwC Bermuda in the Assurance and Advisory Services division where he performed PwC’s internal quality control testing for numerous Bermuda insurers and reinsurers.
Trevor is a Certified Public Accountant in the US and a Chartered Accountant in Canada. Trevor is also holds the following insurance professional designations: Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU); Associates in Risk Management (ARM); Associates in Reinsurance (ARe), Associates in Insurance Accounting and Finance (AIAF) and Associates in Claims (AIC).
Drew Taylor
VP of Financial and Professional Lines
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Prior to joining Relm, Drew was Managing Director of independent retail insurance broker AlphaRoot/FounderShield, a subsidiary of Baldwin Risk Partners (NASDAQ: BRP). During his tenure, Drew led AlphaRoot’s emerging markets team with a focus on risk management consultancy and insurance placements in the cannabis sector, sharing economy, cryptocurrency and web2 and web3 sectors.
Drew also spearheaded AlphaRoot’s alternative risk transfer initiatives utilizing creative strategies such as captive insurance and reinsurance solutions to accommodate complex risks that couldn’t be placed in the traditional or specialty insurance marketplace.
Donavan Burgess
SVP, Underwriter - Digital Assets, Cyber and Professional Lines
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Prior to joining Relm, Donavan Burgess was an Assistant Vice President, Senior Underwriter at AXA XL (Bermuda) within their Professional and Cyber Liability Team.
At AXA XL, Donavan managed an extensive Professional and Cyber Liability insurance portfolio comprising Fortune 1000 companies across all industries and segments. Donavan also led several digital and data transformation initiatives, and he played an active role in various working groups focused on operational efficiencies, business strategy, and product development.
Before joining AXA XL in 2016, he worked in reinsurance claims at Montpelier Re. Donavan recently completed his MBA at the University of Manchester and has earned several insurance designations. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and Registered Professional Liability Underwriter (RPLU). Donavan has also obtained various certifications in cybersecurity and cyber risk management.
Donavan is passionate about entrepreneurship, social change, and disruptive technology (including all things blockchain and crypto). In addition, Donavan enjoys traveling, playing golf, and boating in his free time.
Eric Roberts
VP of Claims
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Eric is responsible for implementing Relm’s fully integrated claims management strategy and directly managing Relm’s outsourced claims service providers, including TPAs, legal and actuaries. Prior to joining Relm, Eric was a claims professional at Pekin Insurance for more than 14 years where he learned the claims profession from the ground- up. Eric began his career as a claim representative and was subsequently promoted to field adjuster, CAT adjuster, service office manager, and most recently he held the role of Regional Claims Manager. Eric managed a claims team of 18 full-time employees. In addition to being responsible for the performance of the Claims department, Eric managed customer service interactions for all claims activities, complaints and developed training and coaching programs and implemented performance standards for his team.
Jamie Harrison
VP of Human Resources & People Operations
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Jamie Harrison has a background in operational management with a strong concentration in Human Resources and Organizational Development. She started with the Target Corporation just after graduating with a Bachelor’s in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. She held multiple positions including Customer Service Executive, Salesfloor Executive, Logistics Executive, HR Executive, HR Business Partner, and finally as a Store Team Leader, managing a team of 9 Executives and 350 employees. During this time, she pursued her Master’s Degree in HROD.
After thirteen rewarding years with the company, she moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina where she spent several years in Project Management, with an emphasis on Change Management. Finally, Jamie took on the role of Human Resource Business Partner with a pediatric therapy center and was quickly promoted to COO. While there, she obtained her SHRM- Senior Certified Human Resource Certificate before joining the Relm team.
Sophia Zaller
VP of Business Development
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Sophia joined Relm Insurance as the company’s fifth employee in July 2021. As an Underwriter, she evaluated risks and structured insurance policies for businesses operating across the digital assets / Web3 ecosystem, including crypto exchanges / wallet providers, bitcoin miners, DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, and institutional staking firms. As VP of Business Development, she oversees strategic communications, marketing and public relations.
Sophia began her career as an Investment Banking Analyst with Goldman Sachs’ Public Sector and Infrastructure Banking Group, where she supported the execution of debt financings and public-private partnerships for clients including state and local governments, municipal utilities, school districts, airports and hospital systems.
Sophia earned a BA from the University of Chicago in 2019. Sophia is currently working toward the professional designation of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) from The Institutes. Find her on Twitter!