Market Moves - 27 November 2014

Insurers

Ageas
Ageas has announced three new roles in its specialist motor underwriting team. Lauren Lyons, Helen Bowers and Graham Ellis will report to niche and schemes personal motor underwriting manager Ian Pritchard. Lyons joins from Brightside’s City Underwriting Bureau, where she was responsible for a number of delegated authorities and binder agreements for a mixture of high‑risk motor portfolios. Bowers comes to the insurer from ERS’s bespoke specialist vehicle department, where she worked on niche schemes including classic car, high‑performance and prestige vehicles. Ellis joins from Ageas’s Eastleigh‑based technical motor unit, where he spent three years as a technical motor underwriter. All three can be contacted through firstname.surname@ageas.co.uk

Chubb
Chubb’s Lynn George has been appointed European chief operations director at the insurer. George was previously European claims manager and has been succeeded by Marta Gomez‑Llorente, formerly Chubb Spain and Italy regional manager.

RSA
RSA has appointed former Zurich UK chief claims officer Bill Paton as claims director for its UK and Western Europe business. Paton, who will join on 1 May 2015 following a stint as CEO of DAC Beachcroft subsidiary Claims Solutions Group, will replace David Pitt, who left in September to become chief operating officer at Esure. Reporting to incoming UK and Western Europe CEO Steve Lewis, Paton, who also served as European chief claims officer during his time at Zurich, will be responsible for setting the overall strategy of RSA’s claims division across the region.

Brokers

Brightside
Brightside Group has hired former Lloyds TSB senior manager Chris Gardner as its new home underwriter and product manager. Gardner held a number of senior underwriting positions at Lloyds, most recently senior manager, household pricing. He can be contacted at chris.gardner@brightsidegroup.co.uk or 07785 611 575.

MGAs

Direct Insurance Group
Lloyd’s broker Direct Insurance Group has hired Towergate Underwriting sales and marketing director Tony Lawrence to lead its new managing general agent Imperium Insurance. Imperium, which is aimed at providing UK and Irish brokers with specialist insurance solutions, has ‘A’‑rated capacity and plans to write £50m of gross written premium in five years. 

Dual
Dual has hired Stephen Bonnington to lead its professional indemnity and cyber business. Peter Holt also joins the Hyperion underwriting arm as chairman of Dual professional indemnity. Bonnington, who will start his role in the New Year, was previously the London head of broker Lockton’s global technology and privacy practice. Prior to that he ran Zurich’s financial lines portfolio for Australia and New Zealand. He has also held senior positions at Aon, Willis, and AIG.

Trade bodies

ABI
The Association of British Insurers has named Huw Evans as the successor to director general Otto Thoresen ahead of his move to the National Employment Savings Trust in February next year. Evans, who became ABI deputy director general following the merger of its general insurance and pensions arms in October last year, will lead the body as it continues its modernisation agenda under the chairmanship of Axa UK group CEO Paul Evans. Thoresen will conclude his four-year stint as director general in February following his appointment to Nest by the Department of Work and Pensions.

Foil
Browne Jacobson partner Nick Parsons has been appointed Forum of Insurance Lawyers president for the coming 12 months. Previously Foil vice‑president, Parsons, Browne Jacobson insurance and public risk department head, takes over from David Johnson. Parsons plans to grow Foil’s membership beyond the personal injury arena, develop education and training opportunities and work with claimant organisations on common issues. 

This article was published in the 27 November edition of Post magazine.