Julian James is to leave Lloyd's in April to join Lockton International...

Lloyd's has this morning confirmed that Julian James, Director Worldwide Markets, is to leave at the end of April to take up a new position at Lockton International.

Commenting on James' departure, Richard Ward, Lloyd's chief executive, said: "I would like to put on record how much Julian has contributed to Lloyd's during his nine years here."

Highlighting James' achievements during his time at Lloyd's, Ward cited his efforts in tackling the regulatory issues stemming from R&R and re-building confidence among brokers, risk managers and the wider market, and drew attention to the role which he played in rebuilding Lloyd's brand and communicating its achievements more effectively.

"In recent years," Ward said, "he has helped to expand Lloyd's global presence by improving the market's position in the US, building a platform in Asia, helping to gain access to the Chinese market and co-ordinating the market's response to 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

"I want to thank Julian for his hard work and dedication and wish him all the best in his new role."

In his new role, James will join Chris Brown, Paul Jack, and Neil Nimmo to lead the four main business areas of Lockton International as executive chairmen.

"Chris, Paul, Julian and Neil are four exceptional individuals. They share our confidence in the future growth potential of Lockton International and our ability to provide extraordinary service to our clients," said Lockton International CEO, Stewart McCulloch. "These new appointments show just how serious we are in our commitment to recruit the brightest and the best people in the industry. We now have a senior team second to none."