Management | Meet The Leaders

AmTrust has earned a reputation as an innovative, technology-driven
provider of insurance products. Now learn about the individuals who help lead the company's success.

Barry Zyskind

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

Prior to being named one of Forbes’ 20 most successful CEOs under 40 in 2012, Barry Zyskind graduated from the New York University – Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He then started the first leg of his career as an investment banker at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC in New York. From there, Mr. Zyskind was involved in the founding of AmTrust Financial, at which he held multiple senior management positions, and where today he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. He also stands as the Officer and Director of many of AmTrust’s wholly-owned subsidiaries. Mr. Zyskind most notably serves as the non-executive Chairman of the Board of the insurance...

Adam Karkowsky

President

Adam Karkowsky joined the Company in March 2011 and became President in December 2019. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of AmTrust Financial Services, Inc. since January 2019. Prior to his current role, Mr. Karkowsky held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Strategic Development and Mergers & Acquisitions. He also serves as an officer and director of several AmTrust subsidiaries.

Mr. Karkowsky has served in various finance and strategy roles in the private equity and insurance industries, including Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions Insurance Group at AIG. He began his career as a corporate associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP following his graduation from Georgetown University Law Center in 1999.

Chaya Cooperberg

EVP, Chief People and Communications Officer

Chaya M. Cooperberg, EVP, Chief People and Communications Officer, joined the company in July 2016. She oversees the company’s people, corporate communications, and marketing strategies. Prior to joining AmTrust, she led investor relations, corporate communications and corporate affairs for multi-national public companies including Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd., Alderwoods Group, Inc. and Descartes Systems Group. Ms. Cooperberg began her career as a business journalist.

Peter Dewey

EVP, Head of International

Peter Dewey, EVP and Head of International, joined the Company in 2003. He began his career at the Company serving in various underwriting roles with increasing responsibility in the Company’s specialty risk division, was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of AmTrust at Lloyd’s Limited, a Company subsidiary, in July 2014 and then added the role of Chief Executive Officer of AmTrust Europe Limited, another Company subsidiary, in April 2016. Peter now serves in a non-executive capacity on a number of regulated companies in the UK.

Jeff Fenster

EVP, Head of North American Specialty Risk

Jeff Fenster, EVP and Head of North American Specialty Risk, joined the Company in 2014. Prior to joining the company, he was Executive Director of the New York Workers’ Compensation Board and previously worked as a Litigation Associate for Stroock & Stroock & Lavan, LLP.

Chris Foy

EVP, Head of North American Commercial P&C

Christopher Foy, Head of North American P&C, joined the Company in June 2016 as President of AmTrust Underwriters Inc., a Company subsidiary, overseeing the Company’s Specialty Program business. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Foy was the founder, owner and president of Total Program Management, a managing general agent purchased by the Company in 2016.

Ariel Gorelik

EVP, Global Chief Operating Officer

Ariel Gorelik, EVP, Global Chief Operating Officer, joined the Company in 2014 and became EVP, Global Chief Operating Officer in October 2023. Prior to his current role, Mr. Gorelik held the positions of EVP, Global Technology and Operations, Senior Vice President AmTrust North America operations, and Chief Operating Officer of AMT Warranty, one of the Company’s operating subsidiaries in the U.S. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Gorelik held a number of senior operational roles with international property and casualty insurers including Zurich and Allianz.

Todd Jaeger

EVP, Chief Investment Officer

Todd Jaeger is Chief Investment Officer, responsible for the firm's overall investment portfolio strategy and risk management. Previously Head of Structured Products, he managed a portfolio of CLO, CMBS, RMBS, and ABS securities. Mr. Jaeger has 20+ years' experience in fixed income trading, derivatives, structuring, risk management, and portfolio optimization. Prior to AmTrust, he was the Head of CMBS Trading at Royal Bank of Scotland, and Director, Structured Finance Ratings at Standard & Poor's, and Managing Director, Financial Products at Chubb. He is a CFA® charterholder, has an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UCLA.

Daniel Pacicco

EVP, Chief Financial Officer

Daniel Pacicco, EVP and Chief Financial Officer, joined the Company in March 2020, overseeing the finance and accounting functions. Prior to joining AmTrust, Mr. Pacicco served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller at Assurant from June 2017 to February 2020, a global provider of risk management solutions, and before that was at Chubb from September 1994 through May 2017 in various Senior Finance roles including Controller, Treasurer, Strategic Planning and Analysis, and North America Finance. He also spent over ten years at Ernst & Young providing auditing and consulting services to clients.

David H. Saks

EVP, Chief Legal Officer

David H. Saks, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, joined the Company in May 2009. From April 1999 to May 2009, Mr. Saks held a number of positions at American International Group, Inc. (AIG), an insurance company. His responsibilities included overseeing the legal aspects of all of AIG’s domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic investments. In addition, Mr. Saks was responsible for overseeing the legal aspects of AIG’s operations and systems, e-commerce, sourcing and real estate leasing. Mr. Saks began his career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, where he worked from December 1994 through March 1999.