Markel International launches Specialty division

Markel, the insurance operation within Markel Group, has launched a Specialty practice within its International Wholesale division which will be spearheaded by Tom Hillier as Divisional Managing Director. This is supported by the addition of a new International Casualty team within Specialty and the appointment of Graeme Ivory as Director of International Casualty. These developments signal Markel’s continued growth in the Wholesale business and commitment to Specialty classes, to best serve its key business partners.

Specialty will be led by Hillier, and the division is now home to Markel’s leading Equine and Livestock, Marine and Energy Liability, Trade Credit, Political Risk, and Surety (TCPRS) underwriting teams, as well as its new International Casualty line. Hillier and Ivory will be based at Markel’s London office and report to Andrew McMellin, Managing Director of Wholesale at Markel International. Hillier brings a wealth of expertise and deep knowledge of the Lloyd’s and London Specialty insurance markets. As a highly experienced Casualty underwriter, Ivory will steward the development of the International Casualty portfolio.

The duo join Markel from Brit Insurance, where Hillier was Managing Director of Specialty and Ivory was Head of Liability. Hillier’s role spanned both Property and Casualty and during his time at Brit, he was particularly focused on underwriting performance. Ivory joined Brit in 2014 and has also held underwriting roles at ACE Europe, Zurich Global Energy, and Catlin 2003 Syndicate.

“I’m delighted to unveil our new dedicated Specialty division with Tom at the helm, to bring together elements of longer tail lines, encourage teamwork, and enhance best-in-class underwriting, as well as provide greater scale for our broking partners. I’m also thrilled to welcome Graeme to the team as we set up our International Casualty capability. With the evolution of the underwriting landscape, their considerable leadership experience and track record of delivering innovative solutions for clients will prove invaluable to Markel. I look forward to the insights they will bring as we drive forward our ambitious global agenda across our key business lines.” – Andrew McMellin.