Skyward Specialty Insurance Group, Inc. (SKWD) fell 1.53% to $55.54 after a sharp drop in Thursday morning trading. The shares later recovered part of the decline after trading above $57.50 earlier in the session. At the same time, Skyward Group announced a planned chief financial officer transition that will continue through the end of 2027.

Skyward Group said Chief Financial Officer Mark Haushill plans to retire from his role on March 31, 2027. Taryn McHarg, currently Apollo CFO and Skyward Group Deputy CFO, will succeed Haushill after his retirement. The company is therefore promoting an existing executive rather than hiring an external finance chief.

McHarg has served as Apollo’s CFO for more than four years and brings extensive experience in the insurance sector. Before joining Apollo, she spent nine years at BUPA and ultimately became CFO of its international markets business. Earlier in her career, she spent seven years at Ernst & Young, building her background in accounting and financial management.

The appointment follows Skyward Group’s January 2026 acquisition of Apollo Group Holdings, a London-based specialty insurer operating in the Lloyd’s of London market, which expanded the company’s specialty insurance operations. Lloyd’s membership gives underwriters access to the market’s global licensing network, a route US specialty insurers have commonly used to write international business. McHarg already has senior finance responsibilities across the combined organization through her Deputy CFO role. Skyward said the internal appointment is intended to support continuity in financial planning and corporate operations.

Haushill will retire after more than a decade with Skyward and after overseeing several major developments at the company. During his tenure, Skyward completed its 2023 initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange and strengthened its capital position. He also played a central finance role during the company’s expansion and the Apollo acquisition.

Skyward also improved its financial strength during that period, including progress in its AM Best financial rating. Those changes came as the company shifted toward a larger and more diversified specialty insurance business. Haushill is leaving after helping oversee several important financing, reporting and corporate development milestones.

Even after stepping down as CFO, Haushill will remain involved in the transition. Under the company’s succession plan, he will serve as a Senior Advisor through the end of 2027. Skyward said that arrangement will give McHarg continued access to institutional knowledge during the early months of her leadership of the finance organization. Successions of this kind are watched closely at listed companies because the CFO role oversees financial reporting, capital planning and the accounting work that follows acquisitions.

Skyward Group now combines Houston-headquartered Skyward Specialty and Apollo under a broader specialty insurance platform with several operating businesses. The Apollo acquisition expanded the group’s market reach and increased the importance of coordinated financial leadership. The CFO succession comes during a key stage of the company’s integration strategy.

McHarg will take responsibility for financial planning as Skyward develops opportunities across the combined insurance platform. Her current roles give her direct exposure to Apollo’s finances and Skyward Group’s wider financial priorities. That background may help smooth the transfer of responsibilities when Haushill formally leaves the CFO position.

Skyward described the succession plan as part of its long-term approach to executive development and corporate stability. The company has more than seven months before McHarg assumes the CFO role in March 2027. Until then, Haushill and McHarg will continue working through the transition as Skyward advances its post-acquisition strategy, with the company’s regular quarterly reporting on the combined platform providing updates in the meantime.