Mathew Tierney has over 25 years of experience in finance and insurance. In his leadership role, he oversees the growth and operations of Grant Thornton’s insurance industry practice, which encompasses a full range of audit, tax, and advisory services. He is also the global insurance practice leader and global business consulting leadership team member for Grant Thornton International, which includes creating industry-centric solutions, establishing service delivery teams, and ensuring quality execution for the firm’s global accounts.

Over Matt’s career, he has worked in the United States, the United Kingdom, Bermuda and Germany with global insurance companies and monetary authorities. He has specialized in the insurance industry, focusing on the property and casualty, life, and health insurance sectors. In this capacity, he has served a select group of leading domestic and international insurers. Matt also brings a breadth of experience in the transformation landscape for the insurance industry as well as both the functional and technical components related to process and system reengineering.

Mathew was awarded a BS in accounting from Widener University. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Executive Leadership Program.

Mathew is a member of the Board of Directors of the SIFM, which consists of global CFOs and professional service partners focused on finance in the Insurance industry.

Lucy Lillycrop has over 25 years of experience and possesses a deep understanding of the effects on companies as they navigate through the cyclical nature of the financial services industry.

She has extensive SEC and internal controls experience and a deep knowledge of insurance accounting, valuation and other complex industry issues. Lucy previously served as a partner in PwC’s National Office, assisting insurance engagement teams in resolving complex financial accounting and reporting issues.

Lucy earned a BSc in accounting and financial analysis from Warwick University in England. She is a CPA Licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Colorado. She is a member of the AICPA and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She has been elected to the SIFM Board of Directors.

Florie Bourrel-Heleine has 20 years of experience in insurance with Forvis Mazars, first in the Paris office and then in the New York office, since September 2015.

She delivers accounting, audit, advisory, and consulting services to clients in the insurance sector, covering insurance, reinsurance, mutual companies, captives, managing general agents, and third-party administrators, in both property & casualty and life & health industries. She has performed these services in accordance with US statutory, US GAAP and IFRS, both domestically and internationally.

More recently, she has led IFRS17 audit and consulting engagements for entities based in the US, Canada and Bermuda, and she also has developed experience with sustainable finance engagements, as it applies to insurance companies.

Florie is a graduate of Neoma Business School, with a master’s degree in finance, audit, and accounting. She is fluent in French, English, and Spanish.

Florie is a member of the AICPA, and the New York State Society of CPAs. She is also a member of the President’s Advisory Council of the Society of Insurance Financial Management (SIFM) as well as the Women of SIFM Steering Committee.

Michael Castelli currently serves as Starr International’s Chief Financial Officer over its worldwide insurance operations, and is a Director of its domestic companies. He is a member of numerous committees and is involved in all business expansion and acquisition activities at Starr.

Prior to Starr, Mike was the President of his own consulting firm and was Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer at American International Group, Inc. where he held a number of financial management positions from 1989-2005. Prior to that time, Mike was with Coopers & Lybrand.

Mike is currently a Director of the Board of SIFM and served as the SIFM’s President in 2003 and 2004 and is a senior member of the Insurance Roundtable Group. Mike also represented AIG as a member of the Committee on Corporate Reporting of the Financial Executive Institute and of the Accountancy Task Force of the Geneva Association. During his tenure as a member of these international organizations, Mike interacted with management and staff of the Securities & Exchange Commission, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Public Companies Accounting Oversight Board and the International Accounting Standards Board on existing and developing reporting standards and accounting matters impacting international public companies.

Castelli earned a BBA in public accounting from the Bernard M. Baruch College. He is member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Elaine Lehnert has over 30 years of experience in forensic accounting, internal controls evaluation, technical accounting and auditing matters. She advises on financial reporting issues specific to insurance and reinsurance companies and has served as a consulting and/or testifying expert on various matters involving insurance (both property casualty and life and health) and reinsurance companies. In addition, she performs assessments of internal control over financial reporting based on the criteria established in the COSO framework and/or plans of remediation across multiple industries, including in connection with forensic accounting investigations and FCPA monitorships.

Prior to joining Ankura, Elaine was a managing director in the forensic and litigation services practice at FTI Consulting and a managing director at Veris Consulting. Formerly, Elaine was with the AICPA as a technical manager with responsibility for assisting and managing the activities of the Insurance Companies Committee and its task forces, relations with Actuaries Committee, and various Accounting Standards Executive Committee task forces. She was also responsible for the development of the audit and accounting guides for insurance companies and was involved in other GAAP standard-setting activities.

Elaine earned a BS and an MBA in accounting from Rider University. She is a CPA and is certified in financial forensics from the AICPA and CIMA. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the SIFM and Chair of the Women of SIFM group.

Paul Mallen has over 30 years of experience across a wide range of industries and in various corporate finance activities, including transaction advisory services, capital structuring, and credit and financial analysis. His expertise and experience also encompass operations, accounting and auditing, as well as SEC regulatory compliance and reporting.

Paul joined Amalgamated Life in 2005 as its Chief Financial Officer leading all financial management while overseeing various operational areas and playing a pivotal role in shaping corporate strategic initiatives. He was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in 2018 and serves on the company’s board of directors.

Paul holds an MBA, finance and international business, from the New York University Stern School of Business. He was awarded a BA, accounting, from Emory University.

Paul is a CPA and a member of the AICPA. He is a member of the SIFM and serves on its Board of Directors.

Dana D’Amelio provides advisory and audit services to global financial services clients. She has specialized knowledge of the operations, controls, valuation, risk management, regulatory reporting and accounting (US GAAP and IFRS) for various financial products at both insurance companies and banks. Her clients have included major insurance companies, diversified financial institutions, investment banks, trading institutions, and private equity firms.

Previously Dana worked in the London Financial Services Office obtaining experience with UK GAAP and UK regulatory reporting. She then joined the On-Call Advisory Services group, where she focused on technical accounting issues in the areas of securitization, derivatives and hedging activities. Dana’s audit experience includes Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 first-time adoption and consultation on IFRS and US GAAP accounting matters. She has also led various accounting advisory projects, including IFRS assessments and conversions, IPO readiness and transaction advisory, accounting implementations and restatements, process and controls reviews, and Federal Reserve Bank regulatory reporting readiness and remediation.

D’Amelio earned a BBA magna cum laude and an MS magna cum laude in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. She is a CPA licensed in the State of New York.

Dana is a member of the AICPA, NYSSCPA and currently serves as the vice president of practice for the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section of the American Accounting Association. She is also an active member of the EY Inclusiveness Advisory Council, the EY Tri-State Professional Women’s Network, and the Women’s Bond Club. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the SIFM.

John Yoon is a senior financial executive with 30 years of experience in financial services particularly in the insurance and reinsurance sectors. John has broad technical experience combined with outstanding leadership ability and creative problem-solving skills.

Prior to joining QBE, John held numerous roles as a managing director at AIG which included areas such as corporate consolidation, controller, corporate FP&A, capital planning, CCAR reporting and corporate development.

John earned a BS in accounting and an MBA in corporate finance from Seton Hall University. He was awarded a certificate in New York University’s Financial Executive Development Program. John is a CPA licensed in New York and New Jersey.

John is an active governor and board advisor with the John Street Club. He is an active member of the SIFM and was the President of the SIFM (2022-2024).

Sean Egan provides audit and advisory services to the insurance sector. He has experience with life, health, and property & casualty companies as well as brokers and Insuretechs; public, private stock, mutual and captives. He serves as lead partner for several audit and advisory accounts overseeing the quality-of-service delivery.

Sean has extensive insurance technical and operational accounting experience including revenue recognition, business combinations, fair value, run-off, reinsurance and on implementation of new U.S. GAAP, IFRS and statutory accounting pronouncements.

He has comprehensive experience in auditing under PCAOB standards and US GAAS in serving audit clients, participating in KPMG’s quality review programs and assisting advisory clients implement, execute or remediate internal controls over financial reporting.

Egan is the National Insurance Sector Knowledge Leader overseeing the development of insurance professionals both onshore and offshore, the deployment of insurance specific technologies and he represents teams in the field in technical matters.

Sean is involved with the local community through Junior Achievement of New York, as well as with Catholic Charities of New York and coaching youth sports.

Yelena La Forgia has 20 years of substantial experience in the insurance industry in various finance, transformation and audit roles. In her current position, Yelena is responsible for leading the US entities and the insurance segment, shaping organizational vision and strategy across finance, while partnering with the business to provide strategic guidance and drive business efficiencies and profitable growth.

Prior to Aspen, Yelena spent nearly eight years at WR Berkley where she was CFO of Berkley’s Product Recall and Small Business companies. Yelena also held various finance and audit positions of increasing responsibility at Liberty International Underwriters and AIG.

Yelena earned a BBA in accounting from Baruch College. She is a CPA licensed in New York. Yelena is a member of the Board of Directors and serves as the President of the SIFM. Yelena is a member of Chief, a women’s executive leadership organization.