Markel further expands International Casualty team with three key appointments

LONDON, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Markel, the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), today announced a trio of key appointments as part of a strategic move to diversify the business's International Casualty portfolio and strengthen its award-winning Wholesale Claims service for broker partners.

The new arrivals include Lauren Percival, who has been appointed to the role of Executive Underwriter – General Liability with immediate effect. Her principal responsibilities will include supporting the sustainable expansion of Markel's General Liability portfolio alongside James Murray who was hired as Head of General Liability earlier this year. Percival will also be responsible for identifying areas to spearhead further profitable growth and ensure high service levels and response times are maintained for brokers and their policyholders.

Percival brings 18 years of London Market underwriting experience and expertise to her new role. Before joining Markel, she held senior underwriter positions at Arch Insurance International and Chaucer Plc, respectively. Prior to that, Percival worked for QBE Insurance (Europe) Ltd for 13 years, during which time she progressed to Senior Underwriter, International Casualty Division, where she established a strong network of clients and managed a profitable book of business writing risk across South America, the Middle East, Asia and the Caribbean, among other territories.

Alongside Percival, Olivia Hogan has been appointed Senior Underwriter at Markel. In her new role, Hogan will support Graeme Ivory, Director, International Casualty with the development of the organisation's Environmental Liability product offering by underwriting a market-leading portfolio of diverse business, ensuring long-term profitable growth. She will also be responsible for building new and fostering existing broker relationships as well as recruiting and nurturing talent across the International Casualty underwriting team in London.

Hogan is a seasoned underwriter, with 12 years' experience in the London Market, specialising in strategic underwriting. Previously, she spent more than six years at AIG as the insurer's UK Environmental Line of Business Owner, where she led a team of four underwriters who managed a profitable environmental insurance portfolio.

Finally, Ed Norman has been appointed International Casualty Claims Manager, with responsibility for developing and leading the International Casualty claims function to ensure brokers and insureds carry on receiving a customer-focused, nimble and value-adding service. He's also tasked with handling complex and non-complex claims across Markel's International Casualty key product lines – General Liability, Environmental Liability and Life Sciences – forging strong broker relationships and feeding technical expertise into best-in-class wordings tailored to meet clients' evolving risk exposures.

Norman possesses a wealth of industry knowledge and expertise spanning two decades and was most recently employed at AXA XL for more than nine years. During that time, he managed a team of four claims professionals in his role as Assistant Claims Manager – London Wholesale Casualty and dealt with claims settlements for the firm's international wholesale underwriting units. Prior to his employment at AXA XL, Norman held the role of Casualty Claims Adjuster at MSIG Holdings, where he handled casualty claims losses and settlements on a global scale.

Based at Markel's London office, Percival will report directly to Murray, while Hogan will report into Ivory. Meanwhile, Norman will be managed by Thomas Upton, Head of Claims, Marine and Energy.

Ivory commented: "We're excited to welcome Lauren and Olivia to our growing International Casualty underwriting team here in London. Their blended skillsets, industry knowledge and experience of managing various international casualty product lines, will significantly add to the bench strength we already have in the team and support us in our ambitions to further diversify our portfolios and enhance our service offering."

Upton said: "As part of our claims value proposition, we're continually investing in top-tier talent to make sure we deliver on our promise to provide a consistently excellent service for brokers and insureds. I'm therefore delighted that Ed will be joining as International Casualty Claims Manager. His impressive background will be instrumental in supporting the International Casualty underwriting team with developing bespoke insurance solutions, by resolving claims matters in an efficient and timely manner and keeping them abreast of important claims trends and developments."

About Markel
We are Markel, a leading global specialty insurer with a truly people-first approach. As the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), we operate the Markel Specialty, Markel International, and Markel Global Reinsurance divisions, as well as State National, our portfolio protection and program services operations, and Nephila, our insurance-linked securities operations. Our broad array of capabilities and expertise allow us to create intelligent solutions for the most complex risk management needs. However, it is our people—and the deep, valued relationships they develop with colleagues, brokers and clients—that differentiates us worldwide.

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