Broking

Newfront hires Burns and Sheppard from BKCW in Austin

Tech-driven insurance broker Newfront has hired Todd Burns as senior vice president and Austin market leader and Lee Sheppard as associate vice president, with both joining from BKCW Insurance.

Sompo Intl joins Biba as part of UK commercial P&C push

Sompo International has joined the British Insurance Brokers’ Association as a partner, in a move the insurer said highlights its commitment to the broker market as it looks to expand in the UK.

Aventum names Aspen’s Moorehead-Lane as first chief risk officer

Aventum Group, the UK specialist intermediary behind broker Consilium and MGA Rokstone, has appointed Robert Moorehead-Lane to the newly created role of chief risk officer.

PIB adds van der Zalm from Aon Nederland to lead European broking

PIB Group has appointed Mandy van der Zalm as chief broking officer for Europe as part of the group’s wider aim to build a specialist and diversified pan-European insurance distribution business.

Klisura: Guy Carpenter “will not tolerate” talent raids

Guy Carpenter has welcomed the settlement of its London legal dispute with smaller rival Howden Group over the recruitment of 30+ colleagues from its European business, with CEO Dean Klisura saying the last-minute deal sends a “clear signal” that it will not tolerate “unlawful” raids on its workforce.

Inver Re names Howden’s Shumway head of advisory

Ardonagh’s reinsurance subsidiary Inver Re has appointed Howden’s Mark Shumway as head of advisory.

The wisdom in avoiding the lottery of litigation

The American journalist and author Ambrose Bierce once described litigation as “a machine you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage”, a dictum Guy Carpenter and Howden Group seem to have taken to heart given the last-minute scramble to settle their latest London broker poaching dispute.

Former NFP execs Flippen and Kiemnec set to launch FI brokerage Lion Specialty

Seasoned financial institutions broking executives Mark “Flip” Flippen and Natasha Kiemnec are working on a specialty retail brokerage called Lion Specialty, with the start-up targeting a 1 November launch initially focused on insurance company clients, The Insurer can reveal.

Guy Carpenter and Howden Tiger settle European poaching dispute on eve of trial

On the eve of what threatened to be a combustible trial, Guy Carpenter and Howden Group have settled a London legal dispute over the defection of 38 Europe-based former Marsh McLennan employees to the UK broking group.

WTW’s Chang: “We want to be the best industry-specialist broker in North America”

WTW’s Michael Chang has touted the progress the firm has made in the past year since the former Sompo International and Chubb executive came aboard, while also declaring his unit’s ambition to be the “best industry-specialist broker in North America”.

Consilium appoints Read to continue Channel Islands expansion

Consilium has appointed James Read as an associate as part of its Channel Islands expansion.

WTW revamps climate practice to align with risk and analytics function

WTW is set to restructure its Climate and Resilience Hub around the two pillars of disaster risk financing and risk quantification, which will now feed into the alternative risk transfer and risk analytics teams respectively, ESG Insurer can reveal.

Truist working on deal to sell insurance business for $10bn to Stone Point: Semafor

Truist is working on a deal to sell its remaining majority stake in Truist Insurance Holdings to private equity firm Stone Point for $10bn, according to a report from digital media outlet Semafor.

CAC Group’s Cobbs Allen hires Jeff Banasz from Marsh

CAC Group has hired Philadelphia-based producer Jeff Banasz from Marsh as executive vice president within its Cobbs Allen unit.

Australia’s Steadfast expands to US with ISU acquisition

Australian broker Steadfast Group has acquired ISU Group, one of the largest privately owned independent insurance agency networks in the US, for $55mn.

Gallagher Re names RenRe’s Allard to lead new global credit and political risk team

Gallagher Re has appointed Jonathan Allard as managing director and head of its newly created global credit and political risk team.

Bermuda-based Aon PSP chief broking officer Calder-Smith latest to depart

The Bermuda-based chief broking officer for Aon’s Professional Services Practice Anthony Calder-Smith has resigned from his post after 31 years with the firm, marking the latest departure within the unit this year, The Insurer can reveal.