UKI Partnerships
UKI Partnerships has appointed Emma

Brokers

UKI Partnerships UKI Partnerships has appointed Emma Hough as its new marketing research analyst.Hough has joined UKI from Cox Insurance. Her responsibilities include the co-ordination of customer satisfaction surveys and production of monthly sector reviews.

Cooper GayThe Cooper Gay Group has appointed Richard Fielding to the board as non-executive director.Fielding has been working in the industry for 50 years and has held board positions in several companies, including chairman and chief executive of CE Heath following its merger with Fielding Insurance Holdings.

Community Broking GroupCommunity Broking Group (CBG) has appointed John Sowerbutts as manager of the company's risk management division.Sowerbutts' role will involve the evaluation of fire, theft and casualty risks of CBG's client base, including the assessment of existing risk control measures and the development and implementation of appropriate risk improvement programmes.

Insurers

GroupamaGroupama Insurances has made two senior appointments. Phil Bird will be joining the company from AXA as director of non-motor and SME underwriting, while Kate Mutter, also from AXA, will be joining Groupama to head the group's sales and agency activities.As director of non-motor and SME underwriting, Bird will report directly to managing director François-Xavier Boisseau and will take responsibility for Groupama's underwriting teams for these areas of business. Bird will join Groupama on 13 April from the role of head of product development at AXA.Mutter will join the company as head of intermediary development. Reporting to distribution and customer services director Amanda Blanc, Mutter will join later in the year to lead the group's intermediary sales and agency team. While at AXA, Mutter held a number of customer-facing positions and was appointed national development manager (personal lines intermediaries) in 2002.

The Leisure ConsortiumDavid Savage has been appointed as managing director of the Leisure Consortium. Savage has more than 30 years' experience in the industry, with particular knowledge of liability insurance.

WR BerkleyW R Berkley Insurance (Europe) has appointed Christian Garling to underwrite its Australian professional indemnity business. Garling will be underwriting from W R Berkley's London office as well as from its recently opened 3rd floor Lloyd's box.

TowergateGavin Peacock has joined Towergate Underwriting Group at its new offices at County Gate, Maidstone. He takes on the newly-created corporate accounts development role, looking after a number of the group's corporate relationships. Peacock has 25 years' experience in the industry, covering company sales at Eagle Star and Zurich, through to special schemes handling with UK Special Risks.

FaradayFaraday Group has announced the appointment of Mark Rayner and Paul Ceurvorst as joint chief underwriting officer and active underwriter.Rayner and Ceurvorst have each been with Faraday in senior underwriting roles for more than ten years. In their new roles, they will take on responsibility for the underwriting strategy of Faraday Underwriting, managing agency for Lloyd's Syndicate 435, and Faraday Reinsurance.Rayner, who is also made a board director of both Faraday companies, will continue to act as underwriting director of the property team, responsible for all aspects of underwriting strategy for both insurance and reinsurance activities.Ceurvorst, who is already a director of Faraday Reinsurance, will become a board director of Faraday Underwriting. He will also continue as underwriting director for the casualty team.

Technology

Eurobase SystemsFinancial services software supplier Eurobase Systems has appointed Tony Tarquini as business development director.Tarquini joins Eurobase Systems from CSC, where he was business development director for the UK retail insurance division for eight years.Prior to that he was marketing manager for six years at insurance broker software supplier MCS (SectorNet). He has also been vice chairman and press officer for the Insurance Technology Trade Association.

Legal

Berryman ShacklockNottingham law firm Berryman Shacklock has made several appointments to its corporate, insurance and property teams. Janet Davey has joined as a corporate lawyer from Edwards Geldard.Eleanor Duggins has joined the property department from Edwards Geldard.Specialist insurance lawyer Stephen Robb has joined as partner in the insurance department and has experience in public liability, employers' liability, motor and fraud claims. He joins from Weightman Vizards, where he was associate and team coach in the transport practice area at the firm's Leicester office, with primary responsibility for motor claims.

KeoghsSix new associates have been appointed by law firm Keoghs.Melanie Mooney, Lucy Walker and Martin McKenna are all team leaders in Keoghs' insurance litigation practice. Mooney and McKenna specialise in defending insurance claims that arise from personal injury and road traffic accidents. Walker specialises in dealing with employers' and public liability claims on behalf of insurance companies.Deirdre McGeown is part of Keoghs' specialist claims unit, where she specialises in investigating potentially fraudulent accident claims. She has now broadened her field to include the examination of suspicious household and vehicle theft claims.Alison Carr is a team leader in the Keoghs Coventry office. She deals with high value claims arising from personal injury and catastrophic injuries.Michelle Higgins has more than seven years' experience of personal injury work, and focuses on employers' and public liability claims.

Other

London Underwriting CentreThe London Underwriting Centre (LUC) has appointed Victor Blake to serve a second consecutive term as executive chairman. Blake served as the LUC's first chairman when it opened in 1993 and has been a director of the market building for more than a decade.

Cunningham LindseyMartin Bond has been appointed business development director (Lloyd's) for Cunningham Lindsey UK.His role within the company is to develop a closer relationship with the Lloyd's market as the insurance industry enters the new FSA regulatory environment.Bond replaces Paul Hodgson, who took early retirement at the end of last year. Bond previously worked with Combined Insurance Company of America. He first worked at Lloyd's in 1975 and was underwriting at Lloyd's from 1981 to 2000. He has also been a Member of Lloyd's.

Company focus

Hugh JamesSix lawyers have completed a two-year training programme at law firm Hugh James to become fully qualified solicitors.After three years in university, one year in law school and two years with Hugh James, the six new solicitors - Darren Hek, Dominic Weir, Nicola Martin, Louise Westgate, Bethan Jones and Richard Skevington - have been admitted to the Roll of Solicitors and retained as assistant solicitors by the firm. Taking up positions in Hugh James' litigation department are: Bethan Jones (specialising in property litigation); Richard Skevington (commercial litigation); Nicola Martin (claimant litigation); and Dominic Weir (manager for the respiratory disease department). Darren Hek (specialising in commercial property) and Louise Westgate (employment) have been given placements in the business services division."The sense of relief on completing the training was tremendous," said Dominic Weir."Even though I'm qualified, I will still have my head in the law books a lot of the time - the nature of legal work means there will always be lots of research to be done."

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