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Meet the Moody's RMS Leadership Team

Each member of our executive team adds a unique perspective and proven experience to help us deliver high-resolution risk insights to industries affected by the uncertainty of natural and man-made catastrophes. Together, they foster a company culture dedicated to making a difference.

Michael Steel
Michael Steel

General Manager

Michael Steel

Michael Steel is General Manager at Moody's RMS. Michael joined Moody's RMS in 2016 to bring innovations in modeling and technology to solve the key risk management challenges faced by insurers. He has more than 30 years’ experience in risk and capital management gained in the insurance industry. Prior to Moody's RMS, Michael was the Group Chief Risk Officer at AXIS Capital, following a career in reinsurance broking, including 12 years at Benfield (now Aon Benfield) where he led the ReMetrics team in addition to leading teams in the development of innovative solutions in the reinsurance and capital markets.

In addition to his role with Moody's RMS, Michael serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Allianz Re Dublin dac. Michael previously served as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Berkshire Hathaway’s international business, as an Appointed Director on the Casualty Actuarial Society, and as Chairman of the Geneva Association’s CRO Network. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in statistics and mathematics from Brunel University.

Cihan Biyikoglu
Cihan Biyikoglu

Executive Vice President, Product

Cihan Biyikoglu

Cihan Biyikoglu is the Executive Vice President, Product for Moody's RMS, responsible for product management across the full suite of Moody's RMS models and risk management tools. He has extensive experience of leading product management for innovative machine learning and big data analytics solutions at Fortune 500 companies over the last 20 years. As a former Vice President of Product at Databricks and Redis Labs, Cihan both developed the product strategy and road map for open-source technologies such as Apache Spark and Redis and respective enterprise offerings in the public and private cloud platforms.

Cihan also worked on products at Microsoft, Couchbase, and Twitter, where he focused on on-premises and cloud offerings in the data and analytics space. At Microsoft, Cihan focused on the incubation of the Azure Cloud Platform in its early days and the SQL Server product line, both of which have grown to multi-billion-dollar businesses for Microsoft.

Cihan holds a number of patents in the data management and analytics space, and he has a master’s degree in database systems and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering.

Moe Khosravy
Moe Khosravy

Executive Vice President, Engineering

Moe Khosravy

Moe Khosravy is the EVP of Engineering at Moody's RMS. He brings 20 years of software experience on products and platforms differentiated by data and applied machine learning.

Most recently, Moe was VP of Software at HP Inc., supporting hundreds of millions of connected devices and clients including platforms for big data, computer vision, and applied ML for the 2D and 3D printing businesses. Prior to HP, Moe was Head of Applications and SDKs at Intel, focused on building experiences differentiated by AI, NLP, and rich sensor technologies. Moe also brings experience from VMware as VP of Mobile and Cloud Data, from Microsoft with leadership roles across Cloud, Search, Windows, Server and Tools, and from Vital Images as an Architect in the advanced technologies group focused on CT/MR software solutions.

Moe has over 90 software patents pending or granted in the realm of distributed systems, AI, vision, and data platforms. He serves on the Board of Directors for Equbot, the first ETF built on machine learning, as well as on the Board of Directors for Delta v, MIT’s flagship startup accelerator.

Moe received his MBA from MIT and studied neuroscience/computer science at the University of Minnesota.

Alok Kumar
Alok Kumar

Managing Director India and Head of Global Analytical Services

Alok Kumar

Alok Kumar is Global Head of Analytical Services and Managing Director, India. As Head of Analytical Services, Alok leads a team of more than 400 analytics professionals working in tandem with our clients’ in-house analytics teams, and utilizing the very latest Moody's RMS risk models and technology platform, to provide services such as data engineering, hazard and risk hot spot identification, accumulation management, and portfolio optimization. As Managing Director for India, Alok oversees business operations for Moody's RMS in India with almost 600 employees, providing overall leadership and strategic direction for the business units and functional teams focused on analytics, risk models and software development.

Alok has over two decades of global experience in the (re)insurance industry and extensive expertise across the spectrum of risk modeling, underwriting, analytics, risk management and governance. He also has a deep understanding of Moody's RMS clients, in terms of their operations, as well as the issues they face.

Prior to Moody's RMS, Alok was the Managing Director and Head of Group Risks & Analytics at Swiss Re, with responsibility for risk quantification and solvency assessment. During his nearly 20 years at Swiss Re, Alok also held the role of Managing Director and Head of Swiss Re Bangalore. Alok has a Civil Engineering degree from IIT Roorkee, and a master’s degree from Texas Tech University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Robert Muir-Wood
Robert Muir-Wood, PhD

Chief Research Officer

Robert Muir-Wood, PhD

Robert Muir-Wood is the Chief Research Officer at Moody's RMS. He works to enhance approaches to natural catastrophe modeling, identify models for new areas of risk, and explore expanded applications for catastrophe modeling. Recently, he has been focusing on identifying the potential locations and consequences of magnitude 9 earthquakes worldwide.

In 2012, as part of Mexico's presidency of the G20, he helped promote government usage of catastrophe models for managing national disaster risks. Robert has more than 20 years of experience developing probabilistic catastrophe models. He was lead author for the 2007 IPCC 4th Assessment Report and 2011 IPCC Special Report on Extremes, is a member of the Climate Risk and Insurance Working Group for the Geneva Association, and is vice-chair of the OECD panel on the Financial Consequences of Large-Scale Catastrophes.

He is the author of six books, as well as numerous papers and articles in scientific and industry publications. He holds a degree in natural sciences and a PhD in earth sciences, both from Cambridge University.

Mitch Parker
Mitch Parker

Global Head of Customer Success​

Mitch Parker

Mitch Parker is the Global Head of Customer Success at Moody's RMS, leading the teams that help customers get the most from their investment in Moody's RMS solutions. Mitch brings over 25 years of software, SaaS, and cloud experience with a breadth of functional leadership experiences.​

Mitch worked at Accenture and Innovex Group as a consultant prior to a 15-year career at Citrix, where he led several different functions, including Consulting, Technical Services, Channel Programs and Sales Operations. At Citrix, he also served as VP and General Manager of the Cloud Services product group, leading Citrix’s transformation of its cloud-based enterprise offerings and go-to-market strategy. Mitch is a technologist, as well, founding his own startup and leading the Product and Services function of a cloud-based security and web performance startup.​

Mitch serves on the Board of Directors and volunteers with Launch Leadership. He received his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.​

Jill Powell
Jill Powell

Global Head of People

Jill Powell

As Global Head of People at Moody's RMS, Jill Powell is responsible for all HR functions, including talent planning and development, recruiting, employee engagement and relations, performance management, organization chartering, and championing the company’s culture and values. Jill has over 25 years of Human Resources experience in global organizations in the banking, finance, and technology sectors. Jill has been with Moody's RMS over two years, initially as the People Lead for EMEA but then taking on broader global responsibilities and being appointed to the Global Lead role in June 2022.

Prior to joining Moody's RMS, Jill was Regional Head of HR for 14 years at Fidessa, a firm that developed an equity trading platform for the investment banking sector. Jill then spent two years with ION Group which acquired Fidessa, during which time, in addition to leading various integration activities, Jill had responsibility for over 2,500 employees across Europe.

Mohsen Rahnama
Mohsen Rahnama, PhD

Chief Risk Modeling Officer and Executive Vice President, Models and Data

Mohsen Rahnama, PhD

Mohsen Rahnama is the senior executive for Moody's RMS models and data products, as well as the Chief Risk Modeling Officer. He leads a global team of scientists, engineers, and product managers responsible for the development and delivery of all RMS catastrophe models and data.

During his 25 years at Moody's RMS, Mohsen has been the passionate and hands-on leader of the largest and most global team of catastrophe modeling professionals in the industry across over two dozen fields of study. He is the publisher of the Moody's RMS Horizons series of modeling papers, has authored numerous scientific publications, leads many research collaborations throughout the world, and is a frequent speaker at scientific and risk management industry events.

He has over 35 years of experience in structural engineering, catastrophe modeling, and risk assessment. He holds a master’s degree and doctorate in earthquake and structural engineering from Stanford University.

Michael Richitelli
Michael Richitelli

Global Head of Sales

Michael Richitelli

Michael Richitelli is a Managing Director and Global Head of Sales for Moody’s RMS.

He is responsible for leading a global team focused on helping clients measure and manage a variety of risks, including Catastrophe, Climate, and Cyber, while utilizing a range of data, modeling, and technology solutions.

Most recently, Mike managed sales and customer success teams focused on Moody’s KYC/AML products. Previously, he led the Insurance Modeling and Analytics sales team, focusing on solutions for actuarial modeling, investment analytics, and capital management.

Before joining Moody’s Analytics in 2002, Mike was part of the Business Development team at Commonwealth Associates, a boutique investment bank focused on the software and telecommunications industries. Mike has a B.A. in American Studies from Fordham University, along with an MBA in Marketing from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business.

Diya Sawhny
Diya Sawhny

Head of Strategy and Marketing

Diya Sawhny

Diya Sawhny is Managing Director and Head of Strategy & Marketing for Moody's Insurance. Most recently she was MD for Acquisition Programs at Moody’s Analytics. Diya has had a number of strategy, business growth, and corporate development roles at Moody’s, including identifying, executing, and integrating acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances. She has also previously been responsible for public policy engagement for Climate and ESG, and for leading Moody’s Investors Services’ Innovation activities. 

Diya joined Moody’s in late 2013 with experience in a variety of roles within financial services. Diya started her career in investment banking at Citigroup and Bank of America Securities. She largely focused on capital-raising transactions (debt and equity) and mergers and acquisitions for companies in the consumer products sector, completing transactions worth over $30 billion.

A graduate of St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi, India with a B.A., Diya also holds an M.B.A. in Finance from the Stern School of Business of New York University.

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