Aspen hires Spain to lead Atlanta E&S property

Aspen has hired Nigel Spain to lead its Atlanta excess and surplus lines (E&S) property team with the new arrival making the move from GuideOne, The Insurer has learned.

Spain has been appointed senior vice president, underwriting manager, a role that gives the executive oversight of Aspen’s E&S property operation in Atlanta, Georgia.

The new hire has joined Aspen having spent just over a year at GuideOne. As this publication revealed in May last year, Spain had joined GuideOne from The Hartford’s Navigators Insurance operation as head of global technical property.

In that role, Spain led GuideOne’s commercial property team in the wholesale surplus lines space.

Sources said the executive left the expansive US insurer on good terms.

Before joining GuideOne, Spain had been the underwriting director for Navigators special property division, leading a team of underwriters focusing on surplus lines commercial business.

He had become part of The Hartford following the company’s 2016 acquisition of E&S specialist carrier Maxum Specialty. Maxum Specialty was effectively rolled into Navigators after The Hartford bought the company in 2019.

Spain has over three decades of experience in the insurance industry, and during his career he has held roles at Argo’s Colony Insurance and Maiden Specialty. He began his career in the Lloyd’s market, during which time he took a leading role in the wholesale operations of the then Marsh & McLennan.