A guide to this week’s movements in the insurance industry
Broker
Marsh
Marsh has appointed Robert Hall as managing consultant within its business continuity management team.
Hall will provide strategic risk assessment and contingency planning advice, particularly on high profile threats such as terrorism, climate change and pandemics, to the team’s international client base.
He was previously group strategic assessments manager at Barclays Bank for three years.
Marsh has also announced details of several senior sales appointments.
The new appointments are Mark Hicks and Richard Park, Andrew Wilton and Mark Lumley.
Hicks assumes the role of sales and service leader of the office and will oversee its business development strategy. He joins from Marsh’s multinational business in London and brings 18 years’ industry experience.
Park is promoted to client executive team leader. He is responsible for strengthening existing client relationships and driving growth through the provision of additional Marsh services.
Wilton joins from Lockton as sales leader and will focus on new business development. He has worked in the industry for 17 years in numerous business development roles.
Lumley has been appointed as a development executive and is responsible for new business development, specialising in real estate, construction and healthcare. He joins from Jones Lang LaSalle.
Oxygen
Oxygen Insurance Brokers has recruited three senior professional indemnity (PI) brokers.
Andy Lucia, Lee Saunders and Gregory Irgin join Oxygen’s professional risks team and will focus primarily on building Oxygen’s PI wholesale business.
Lucia joins Oxygen from Houlder Insurance Services, where he was responsible for new business development.
Saunders also joins Oxygen from Houlder, where he worked with Lucia on developing new PI business strategies.
Irgin joins Oxygen from Griffiths and Armour.
Layton Blackham
Jackie Higgins, Phil Taylor and Arthur O’Connor have joined the Layton Blackham Business Solutions (LBBS) sales team.
Higgins has been appointed as sales manager within LBBS.
Taylor has nearly 40 years’ experience in the industry in various underwriting, sales and managerial roles.
They will be responsible for the recruitment of new partner brokers.
O’Connor has 33 years’ experience in various sales and management roles. He joins LBBS as development manager focusing on new sales opportunities and special projects.
Direct Commercial
Direct Commercial has announced the promotion of three key personnel to senior positions.
Bob Crothers is appointed managing director. He joined Direct Commercial as underwriting director in 2003 and has over 20 years’ experience in the motor fleet and broking insurance market.
Chris Webb becomes associate director. He joined Direct Commercial in 2002 as a trainee within the underwriting department.
Liam Guilfoyle has also been appointed associate director, having been promoted to accounts manager in 2006.
Insurer
GHL
GHL Insurance Services UK has appointed Simon Richards as pricing manager. Reporting to Claire Hazlehurst, general manager of product and pricing, his responsibilities will be to help deliver the pricing business plan for GHLIS.
He has over 12 years’ industry experience, working for leading composite insurers and underwriting agents.
He joins from Towergate.
Other
LV=
LV= has appointed Michele Alcock as head of affinity relations within its partnership business.
Alcock will be responsible for managing relationships with the LV= affinity partners and the Frizzell brand.
LV= has also appointed Keith Abercromby as group director for finance.
He joins from Aviva, where he was finance director of the Norwich Union life division.
Open GI
Tavis Childs has been appointed by Open GI as insurer relations executive.
He is responsible for manag-ing the company’s relation-ships with leading insurers, wholesale brokers and under-writers developing schemes on the Open GI system.
Genworth Financial
Genworth Financial has appointed Angel Mas as head of its European mortgage insurance business.
He has 15 years of financial services experience and has worked in the areas of business development, risk and capital management, finance and controllership, mergers and acquisitions.
Profile
Reich
Manchester based Reich Insurance Brokers has expanded its management team with the appointment of John Capel as client service manager.
Capel has a wealth of experience in advising clients on various risk finan-cing and risk management solutions.
As well as being a Fellow of both the CII and the Institute of Risk Management, he also holds a masters degree in risk management.
Capel joins from Jardine Lloyd Thompson where he was a regional director.
Simon Taylor, partner at Reich, says: “Client service has always been our key strength and we needed to co-ordinate our overall client activities cross department. John Capel was exactly what we are looking for and is a superb addition to our team.”
Capel adds: “The team at Reich provides an excellent client-focused service and has superb relationships with the major insurers. The lack of bureaucracy and inward thinking found in most of the larger brokers is also a breath of fresh air. There is an excellent future for well organised dynamic brokers who are prepared to concentrate on their clients’ needs.”
Capel lives in Sale with his wife Lorna and dog Edward. They are expecting their first child in November. In his spare he enjoys indoor rowing, mountain biking and dabbling on the stock market.
