Market moves: Moving into the new year

Barton became group CEO at MRIB in October, as revealed by Insurance Age.

Also in the broking space, former MD of broking at Brightside, Russell Bence, has joined Blink Intermediary Solutions as commercial director; Ardonagh hired Graeme MacMillan as chief executive officer of product and distribution management for Ardonagh Portfolio Solutions; and Andrew Behrends is leaving his post as Integro Group CEO at the end of this year, with the search for his replacement ongoing. Gilles Normand joined Saga as chief operating officer on 25 November – he has previously held the chief executive officer position at Swinton and Saga has also hired Cheryl Agius as CEO of insurance. Jaime Swindle has left NIG to become managing director for networks and products at Bravo Group.

In the insurance provider arena, former Aviva UK CEO Andy Briggs has been recruited by Phoenix Group to become chief executive officer; Tokio Marine Kiln (TMK) has appointed Matthew Shaw as chief underwriting officer following the departure of Paul Culham; and Ecclesiastical has chosen Richard Coleman to be managing director of its UK general insurance business after the news broke that John Blundell will retire in 2020.

Looking more broadly at the insurance industry, Freedom Services Group (FSG) has announced that Paula Coulthard will become group CCO, and Mark Cliff has taken up a position on InsurTech Iotatech’s strategic advisory council.

Broker

Blink Intermediary Solutions, a trading name for Iris Insurance Brokers, has hired Russell Bence as commercial director. Bence was previously managing director of broking at Brightside, but left the broker in August 2019 to “pursue other interests”. In his new role at the Lloyd’s broker, he will be working with the broker team to deliver new products, build relationships and become involved with the firm’s key partnerships.

The Ardonagh Group has appointed Graeme MacMillan as chief executive officer of product and distribution management for Ardonagh Portfolio Solutions. The group hired MacMillan from Aviva, where he was director of international brokers since joining the provider in October 2017. MacMillan will be responsible for broker and carrier engagement and product design in the newly created role at Ardonagh.

It was also announced that Andrew Behrends is leaving his post as Integro Group CEO. He will step down from the role on 31 December and stay at the business as an adviser to the board. The group has said Behrends was leaving the business due to personal and family reasons and added that the board has started a search for a UK-based chief executive. In the meantime, the company will form a management committee comprised of heads of global broking Jason Collins and David Abraham and CFO Andy Westenberger.

Former Swinton chief executive officer Gilles Normand joined Saga as chief operating officer on 25 November. The over-50s insurance specialist has also hired Cheryl Agius as chief executive officer of insurance. She most recently worked as CEO of Legal & General’s general insurance business. Agius now sits above both the broking and the underwriting businesses while Normand’s role spans across the whole group.

Insurance Age revealed that Jaime Swindle, formerly director of broker e-trade at insurer NIG, has joined Bravo Group as managing director for networks and products. She takes up the post on 1 January 2020. The development is one of a number of leadership changes at Bravo Group which has seen John Lincoln step down from the CEO role at Compass.

Market focus: MRIB

Insurance Age revealed on 18 November that Phil Barton (pictured right), former chief executive officer of Jelf, joined MRIB as group CEO in October.

Ed Finch, managing director at MRIB, explained that Barton’s appointment came alongside a “realignment” of the firm’s business plan.

He explained that the change is about creating the best working environment and having leading advisory solutions for clients, which should lead to growth for the company.

Finch also said: “I’ve known Phil for a long time and I asked him
to come on board as group CEO. Phil is hugely experienced and has been involved in a number of successful businesses.

“He’s a fantastic individual. I’m absolutely delighted to be working
with Phil.”

Barton left his role as chief executive officer at Jelf (now renamed Marsh Commercial) in March 2019, having been with the company for sixteen years.

He was succeeded as Jelf CEO in May by Marsh veteran Anthony Gruppo.

Insurer

Andy Briggs, former Aviva UK CEO, is set to become chief executive officer at Phoenix Group following the retirement of Clive Bannister, who is set to leave his position on 10 March 2020 after nine years at the firm. The move is subject to regulatory approval. Earlier in 2019 it was revealed that Briggs was set to step away from Aviva following the appointment of Maurice Tulloch as CEO. When Mark Wilson left the provider last year Briggs had been named as a potential successor.

Tokio Marine Kiln has appointed Matthew Shaw as chief underwriting officer. He will join the firm in the first half of 2020, subject to regulatory approval. The appointment of Shaw follows the departure of Paul Culham as chief underwriting officer. Culham stepped down at the end of September after more than three decades with the company.

Ecclesiastical has announced that Richard Coleman has been appointed managing director of its UK general insurance business. Coleman joins the business from the position of European director and global head of insurance and assistance at Collinson, a post he held since September 2017. John Blundell, current managing director of Ecclesiastical’s UK general insurance business, will retire in 2020.

Other

Freedom Services Group (FSG) has announced the appointment of Paula Coulthard as group CCO. Coulthard had been managing director at Pukka Insure, an FSG firm, since the MGA launched in 2015. As group CCO she will report to Sam White, group founder and CEO at FSG. Coulthard’s former role at Pukka Insure will be filled by James Blake, who had previously worked as a director at the MGA until March 2019.

InsurTech Iotatech has appointed Mark Cliff to its strategic advisory council. This move is effective from the beginning of next year and will see him replace Dermot Joyce, who has left the board but will remain as a shareholder in the firm. Cliff resigned from his previous position as non-executive director at Brightside during the first week of May.