Markel

The appointment of Pushpa Sriwignarajah comes amid change within the Hiscox cyber team.

Simon Philpin will be based at Markel’s London office and report to Carl Titterton, divisional managing director of trade credit, political risk and surety.

The underwriter will service a full suite of liability products and assist with training junior underwriters.

Bryan Dressler will be responsible for building out a team that will focus on SMEs domiciled in the UK and European Economic Area.

Acrisure entered into a definitive agreement with Markel in March to acquire the MGA.

Markel UK has appointed Mark Plews as director of underwriting, replacing Simon Fell, who is to retire but will remain a consultant to support the transition process.

Courts in Bermuda and the US approved the move, which had earlier been subject to investor litigation.

His departure follows the closure of retro platform Lodgepine and Markel’s cat exit.

The appointment marks Markel International’s entry into the US war and terrorism market.

With a Bermuda court ruling still pending over the firm’s proposed buy-out, Markel has negotiated a deal to counter US litigation.

The company has also divided its liability lines into two distinct teams, formally bringing Galleon, the MGA it bought in 2016, under cargo liability and marine professional indemnity.

In his new role, Stephen Reilly will oversee “high value, complex, and disputed claims”, identifying claims trends, and legal developments.