Christopher Landers has spent his career allocating capital, underwriting risk, and building controlled financial platforms.
He founded his first company at 28 and later established a private bank in the mid-2000s, structuring credit and navigating balance sheet exposure through volatile market cycles. His experience extends beyond financial engineering — with direct engagement in commercial and residential real estate development, both domestically and internationally — grounding his underwriting in asset-level reality, not abstraction.
He is the Founder of LUX Insurance Holdings and a Lloyd’s Coverholder, operating within the Lloyd’s marketplace with disciplined aggregate management and strict underwriting parameters.
Outside the markets, he is a Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, writes action fiction, and paints nocturnal works in his signature “Abstract Tonalism,” exhibited in Charleston and New York galleries
Zak Attafi operates at the sharp end of specialty property placement, building broker alliances and executing complex risk transfers into the Lloyd’s marketplace with precision and speed. His career has been defined by disciplined underwriting judgment, decisive market access, and the ability to structure solutions where standard markets hesitate.
As Vice President of LUX Insurance Holdings, Zak has been instrumental in shaping the firm’s broker-first architecture and its disciplined, execution-driven underwriting culture. Working through LUX’s Lloyd’s Coverholder platform, he translates layered, technically challenging property exposures into clean, executable placements — delivering responsive capacity and tailored structures for brokers navigating distressed, CAT-exposed, or otherwise unconventional risks.
Zak’s strength lies in market fluency and relationship capital. Multilingual and internationally networked, he maintains active relationships across Europe and North Africa, positioning LUX as a connective bridge between regional risk and London specialty capacity. His cross-border perspective and cultural agility enhance deal flow, expand distribution channels, and strengthen broker confidence in complex placements.
David Surles is a Charleston native with deep roots in the region, coming from a family whose history in the area spans several centuries. This long-standing connection to place and community has shaped his understanding of property, legacy assets, and the unique considerations involved in protecting high-value homes.
Mr. Surles specializes in underwriting high-value residential properties across some of the most prominent high-net-worth markets in the United States. Known for his disciplined underwriting approach, he focuses on complex residential risks that require careful evaluation, strong market knowledge, and tailored coverage solutions.
Highly regarded by retail agents and clients alike, Mr. Surles is recognized as a skilled communicator and effective dealmaker. His ability to navigate complex placements while maintaining a high level of service has earned him a strong reputation among brokers and clients seeking thoughtful, responsive underwriting support.
Charles Ives is an insurance professional specializing in high-value personal lines property risks across major high-net-worth markets in the United States. His work focuses on underwriting complex residential exposures and structuring tailored coverage solutions for affluent homeowners in coastal and metropolitan regions.
Mr. Ives began his career in banking after graduating from the University of South Carolina. During that time, he passed the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) examination, establishing a foundation in financial markets, regulatory frameworks, and investment principles that continue to inform his analytical approach to risk.
He later transitioned into insurance underwriting, where he has concentrated on high-value residential properties requiring careful evaluation of construction quality, geographic exposure, and long-term asset protection strategies. Over the course of his career, Mr. Ives has worked in several prominent markets, including Chicago and Charleston, South Carolina, gaining experience across diverse property profiles and regional risk environments. This geographic perspective has strengthened his ability to evaluate complex exposures and provide thoughtful underwriting solutions in competitive high-value markets.