Kuhn takes Cooper from Vantage to Westfield Specialty

Newly launched Jack Kuhn-led Westfield Specialty has continued to build out its ranks with the hire of Fred Cooper from Vantage to head up a new financial lines division, as well as Ray Ash and Ryan Canning from Sompo to work with the executive, The Insurer can reveal.

The move reunites the trio with Kuhn, the former Sompo International global insurance head who joined Vantage in November last year before departing the Bermudian start-up last month to build a new specialty operation at AM Best “A” rated Ohio-based P&C insurer Westfield.

Cooper had joined Vantage from Sompo International earlier this year as senior vice president for financial institutions.

He was previously executive vice president, financial institutions and commercial management liability at Sompo International and had earlier held executive underwriting positions at various carriers including Aspen and Axis, as well as broker Aon.

Cooper takes the position of executive vice president for financial lines at Vantage.

Ash was most recently senior vice president and financial institutions national practice leader at Sompo International, based in New York, according to his LinkedIn profile.

He spent almost 12 years at the carrier and its predecessor Endurance, after joining from broker Marsh.

Canning was most recently a vice president at Sompo International, also based in New York, and had been with the company for almost nine years after joining from The Hartford.

Sources said the Cooper-led team will focus on the middle market to large account space across a range of financial lines classes including commercial management liability, public D&O and ancillary products and are likely to add financial institutions underwriting capabilities in time.

As previously reported, Kuhn has already begun building out underwriting capabilities on the platform in the professional liability and errors and omissions with the hire of Dan Wadley and Jeff Kulikowski, also from Sompo International.

Wadley was most recently executive vice president at Sompo Pro, with Kulikowski senior vice president and E&O leader.

In a statement accompanying the announcement of Kuhn’s hire last month, Westfield said the specialty market move will create additional opportunities to profitably grow the business with new customers as well as strengthen relationships with existing customers.

It will also enhance the financial diversification of the group’s P&C portfolio.

Westfield was founded in 1848 by farmers. The company currently operates through a number of insurance company subsidiaries, including Ohio Farmers Insurance Company, Westfield Insurance Company, Westfield National Insurance Company and Old Guard Insurance Company. It also has a wholesale unit called Westfield Specialty Brokerage Services.

Its multi-line, regional P&C insurance and surety operation has $2bn in revenue, according to the group’s website.

According to Westfield’s annual report, the business generated net premiums written of $1.8bn across the group, with a net operating gain of $139.8mn and a combined ratio of 99.6 percent. Its surplus at year-end was $2.7bn.

Sompo International declined to comment on this article while Vantage and Westfield could not immediately be reached for comment.