5X5 Aviation Insurance has appointed Doug Tibbs as managing director. He joins the Minneapolis-headquartered insurer after more than two decades in aviation insurance leadership, most recently overseeing one of North America's largest general aviation insurance portfolios with $200 million in profit and loss ownership.

Tibbs has led underwriting teams and developed safety programmes, working with aircraft owners, operators and aviation businesses internationally. He is also a former professional pilot with more than 6,000 flight hours across over 45 aircraft types.

“For years, aircraft owners and pilots have been asking for the same things: more transparency, real choices, faster decisions and recognition for the time they invest in training and safety,” Tibbs says. “I am joining 5X5 because the company was built to answer those requests instead of accepting the status quo.”

5X5 connects aircraft owners directly with its underwriting team rather than routing communication through brokers, aiming for faster decisions and coverage built around each pilot's training, experience and risk profile.

Tibbs says the aviation insurance industry is entering a period of change as technology, data and direct customer engagement create opportunities to evaluate risk while improving the customer experience. “Information often passes through multiple hands before reaching the underwriter, which can slow decisions and leave customers without clear explanations,” he adds. "By working directly with aircraft owners, we gain a better understanding of how they fly, train and manage risk.”

5X5 continues to build out its direct-to-customer model, combining aviation expertise with data-driven underwriting and coverage tailored to individual pilot experience.