The move will see his predecessor step down and move into a consultant role ahead of retirement at the end of the year

Markel International – a subsidiary of Markel Corporation – has named Dan Martin as managing director of distribution strategies and business development.

Martin will be based at Markel’s London office and report to Andrew McMellin, managing director of wholesale at Markel International.

Martin succeeds Pat Murphy-O’Connor who will transition into a consultancy capacity ahead of his retirement at the end of 2022.

Overall, Martin has more than 25 years in the underwriting and risk management industry. He joins from American International Group (AIG), where he was head of broker engagement with responsibility for AIG’s London Market offerings.

This included the Talbot Lloyd’s platform and multi-year strategic initiatives.

He also has diverse experience spanning the Lloyd’s and UK retail and wholesale markets, with extensive expertise in alternative distribution strategies with major trading partners.

McMellin explained: “Martin’s wealth of experience, long-standing trading relationships and his strong reputation for working with underwriters makes him the perfect successor to Murphy-O’Connor and is testament to Markel International’s ability to attract market-leading talent.

“His appointment and the expansion of the distribution strategies and business development team will allow us to partner with brokers in a more commercial and cohesive manner.

”I’d like to thank Murphy-O’Connor for his contribution in fostering excellent working relationships and making distribution strategies and business development as successful as it is today and I’m delighted to welcome Martin to the team as we continue this journey of sustained growth.”

Ambitious strategic goals

In his new role, Martin will support Markel’s long-term ambitions of sustainable growth and operational effectiveness.

He will achieve this by working with the wholesale leadership and underwriting divisions to develop and lead a structured approach to distribution as well as the expansion of distribution strategies and business development.

In addition to this, he will work to enhance the future digital framework within Markel’s wholesale offering in the London and Asian markets.

Martin said: “Markel’s work in the wholesale division has been going from strength-to-strength under Murphy-O’Connor’s exceptional leadership and I am looking forward to working with McMellin and the team on the next phase of its evolution.

“Markel is known as a leader in most of its classes and to operate with a culture that prioritises integrity and respect, which provides the right backdrop to achieve its ambitious strategic goals.”

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