About Us
Get to know our team and
what drives us at Solis Re.
Who we are
Headquartered in Miami, the regional reinsurance hub for Latin America and the Caribbean, Solis Re features a management team with a long track record of both excellent underwriting performance and unparalleled client service.
Solis Re leverages decades of first-hand knowledge and experience in Latin America and the Caribbean with a technical platform that utilizes the best tools and resources globally. Solis Re underwrites reinsurance in Latin America and the Caribbean on both a Treaty and Facultative basis.
Manuel F. Almenara
CEO
Manuel has been active in the reinsurance industry in both broking as well as underwriting for over 40 years. His long career, which started in Toronto, Canada, has included 22 years as Managing Director in the International Division of Guy Carpenter & Company in New York, a government appointment in the 1980’s as Chairman & CEO of the erstwhile Peruvian reinsurance monopoly and 20 years leading Willis Re’s Latin American and Caribbean Group.
In addition to the foregoing, Manuel retired in 2019 after many years as member of the Board of Directors of Patria Re in Mexico and later joined and retired as outside member of the Board of BMS Re’s Latin American and Caribbean operation in Miami, Florida.
Juan Carlos Roa
Chief Underwriting Officer & Senior Vice-President
Juan Carlos joined Solis Re from Transatlantic Re Latin America & Caribbean Division, where he was a Senior Vice President of Underwriting and Commercial Relationships Manager & Underwriter.
At Transatlantic Re Juan Carlos oversaw the Property, Engineering, Technical Lines, Surety, Casualty and Specialty Casualty lines of business whilst also leading the company’s Brazil, Argentina, Panama and Miami underwriting units, where he managed a book of business in excess of $350M.
Juan Carlos is one of the most well-known underwriters in the region with access to business across the spectrum of clients.
Prior to 2001, Juan Carlos held roles as Technical & Commercial Vice President at Reaseguradora de Colombia and as Reinsurance Manager at Allianz.
Monica A. Downey
Head of Operations
Monica Downey joined Solis Re as Head of Operations in July 2024, bringing a distinct perspective to the organization. With a background in commercial banking and a brief stint in the financial sector, Monica oversees various aspects of the company's operations, including banking, payroll, vendor management, and IT infrastructure.
She plays a key role in compliance matters, liaising with regulatory bodies such as Lloyd's of London and various international securities commissions. Monica’s adaptability and commitment to learning have allowed her to quickly become an integral part of the leadership team, contributing to the company's continued growth and success.
Felix Pena
Technical Accounting Manager
Felix has worked in the insurance/reinsurance industry for approximately 28 years. Felix Pena started his accounting career after serving in the United States Marine Corps. While working as a customer service representative for a Property and Casualty Insurance Company (Hallmark Insurance Group), he worked his way up at the group to become a staff accountant.
Felix worked as a Senior Account Analyst at Employers Reinsurance Company in Miami for approximately eight years. Felix’s position prior to joining Solis Re was Accounting Manager of Validus Reaseguros, Inc. in Miami for about ten years. His responsibilities included both technical premium and financial accounting. While at Validus he managed a team of five people, worked with other teams abroad and spearheaded many important projects.
Fulvio J. Martinez
Claims Manager
Fulvio has more than 30 years of experience in claims examination and management both in insurance and reinsurance. He brings technical expertise, team leadership and extensive experience handling both facultative and treaty claims. Throughout his career Fulvio has focused on the Latin American and Caribbean markets. Prior to joining our team, he spent 9 years as VP & Senior Claims Manager for Scor Re, 2 years as Claims Manager for Everest Re,
4 years as AVP & Claims Manager at Transatlantic Re and 3 years as Claims Manager at Signet Star Re.
Andrea A. Gil de Montes
Underwriting Services Administration Manager
Andrea joined Solis Re in 2022, bringing more than 24 years of experience managing information in various industries including the federal government, academia and private business. She worked as a Senior Business Analyst for the US Department of Commerce SBA and the USDA Forest Service.
She gathered business requirements for the development of mobile and internal computing solutions, ensuring business needs were met and successfully implemented and maintained.
Nicolas Mora
Technical Analyst
Nicolas Mora holds a B.S. in Economics from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. He has been with Solis Re for over two years, gaining comprehensive experience in Facultative and Treaty Underwriting. In addition, he has played an active role in modeling and reporting activities, as well as contributing to the commercial efforts in the Latin American region, excluding Colombia.
His involvement in both underwriting and commercial operations has provided him with a well-rounded understanding of the reinsurance industry and the company’s operations. This experience has also strengthened his adaptability, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative skills. Furthermore, he is developing an in-depth understanding of client needs and reinsurance structures, enhancing his ability to support strategic decision-making and business development.
About our Founder:
Andy “don’t sign me” Downey
Our Founder and late President & CEO for 8 years, Andy built Solis Re from the ground up thanks to his over 27 years of underwriting experience and relationships in the region where he began operating in 1996.
Before establishing Solis Re, Andy joined Validus Group as founding CEO for Validus Reaseguros, Inc. (VRI) in 2007. VRI operated as a Lloyd’s Coverholder and MGA starting on April 1st, 2008. He established offices in Miami and Chile and developed a book of Latin American and Caribbean business from scratch, approaching a combined revenue in the territory of USD 100M per annum prior to its acquisition by AIG.
He was responsible for both Treaty and Facultative underwriting across multiple lines of business, including Agriculture, CAR/EAR, Cargo/Hull, General Liability, Specialty Line and Surety. Prior to that, he was at Transatlantic Reinsurance Company (TRC), where he began in 1996. He held numerous positions from Underwriter to General Manager of TRC Argentina and ultimately Underwriting Manager of the Latin American & Caribbean Division for over five years, where he underwrote and managed a $250m Treaty and Facultative Portfolio of Property, Casualty, Specialty Casualty, Marine & Aviation, Surety, Health & Personal Accident throughout Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Eternally grateful to him, we will continue to add to Andy’s impressive biography, but for now leave you with a quote/life lesson from Andy, we heard him say often when he confronted a challenge:
“Onward & upward…No slowing down!”
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