A guide to this week's movements in the insurance industry

Broker

Budget
Budget has appointed David Thompson as operations director of Fusion, its personal lines contact centre business.

Thompson previously worked for four years at Esure as head of operations.

Marsh
Marsh has appointed Paul Moore in the new role of head of compliance for Europe and the Middle East.

Moore was previously head of group regulatory risk and senior management adviser at HBOS.

HSBC
James Richardson has joined HSBC Insurance Brokers as

IT business support manager for its small commercial insurance division in Bournemouth.

Richardson joins from Cambridge Silicon Radio, where he was a software test team leader.

Vega
Vega has appointed Helen Middle to the new role of

HR business partner, in which she will support individual business streams.

Middle joins from Firstplus Financial, where she was training and development manager and subsequently head of people strategy.

J&M
Private and public hire broker J&M has appointed Phil Batt as service centre manager in Epping.

Batt was previously head of call centre operations at a travel firm, following a 20-year career with Norwich Union.

At J&M he will focus on Travelbility, J&M's specialist travel cover for disabled and medically impaired people.

Abacans
Vega-owned broker Abacans has promoted David Martland to director.

Since joining Preston-based Abacans in 1994, Martland has been responsible for business development and administration of the firm's commercial client base.

The following staff have also joined the company:

  • Christine Ashburn as management accountant. Ashburn's past experience includes over 20 years at Lloyd's Bank.

  • Nigel Davies as account executive (new business). Davies has previously held executive roles at Opus, Heath Lambert and Aon.

  • Joanne Morris from Country Mutual as commercial account handler.

  • Tracy Hill has joined the company's business development unit after a number of years at Hill House Hammond.

    • Smart & Cook
    Smart & Cook has promoted Jane Bean to commercial business director.

    Bean first joined the company in 2004 as general insurance compliance manager.

    In her new role Bean will help to develop the firm's SME offering by playing a key role in the execution of its strategy for small desk-based commercial businesses.

    FMW
    Jay Benton has been appointed marketing executive by FMW.

    Benton joins from Connectix, where he was business development account manager.

    Bollington
    Tracey Owen has joined Bollington's commercial division as an account manager to assist the company's expansion across the Pennines.

    Owen, who joins from Marsh, will be part of the team responsible for developing new clients and servicing current clients in the Yorkshire region.

    Insurer

    Brit
    Brit has appointed Craig Watson as directors' and officers' underwriter in its Glasgow office.

    Watson joins after eight years at Chubb, where he was specialty lines manager for Scotland.

    Fusion
    Fusion has appointed Steph Riordan as executive manager responsible for the firm's London office.

    Riordan joins from broker Richmond House, where she has worked since 1990, most recently as sales director.

    Legal

    Beachcroft Wansbroughs

    Beachcroft Wansbroughs has recruited Tracey Butcher as a partner in its professional and financial risks group.

    Butcher, who was formerly with Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, will be based at the firm's Birmingham office.

    Berrymans Lace Mawer
    Berrymans Lace Mawer has promoted personal injury specialists Val Hughes and Henry Kirkup to partners.

    Hughes works in the firm's Birmingham office and Kirkup in the Leeds office.

    EXCLUSIVE

    Silverbeck Rymer
    Silverbeck Rymer has appointed Jon Haynes in the new role of head of defendant operations and business development.

    Haynes joins Silverbeck Rymer from Legal Costs Assessors in Liverpool, where he has been head of claims for the past three years.

    Other

    Eurobase
    Software and services firm Eurobase International has appointed Stephen Wahl to its international board as group sales and marketing director.

    Wahl joins from IT consultancy Detica, where since 1998 his roles included developing the firm's financial services business and working with banking and insurance clients.

    TriSystems
    IT and business consultant Mark Duff has recently joined London technology solutions and services provider TriSystems as senior account manager.

    Duff previously worked at CSC for eight years in a similar role.

    Profile

    Tim Hinchcliffe
    Tim Hinchcliffe has joined Manchester-based broker John Reynolds as a business development executive within its general insurance division.

    Hinchcliffe joins from Willis, where he was an associate sales director in its general insurance department.

    Prior to this he held the same role within Willis' credit insurance division.

    Hinchcliffe said: "I am looking forward to actively promoting the whole portfolio of professional advocacy offered by John Reynolds to our existing clients, and to open negotiations with a wide range of new prospects and networking partners."

    John Reynolds has specialist divisions for trade credit and political risks, general insurance and personal lines.

    Hinchcliffe is married with two sons, Josh and Zac, and his hobbies include playing football and squash.

    Other interests include railway preservation and photography.

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