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In Person: Pen Underwriting CEO Tom Downey

Tom Downey, Pen Underwriting

Downey discusses what it was like to take over as CEO just before lockdown, the future for Pen and why Covid-19 could lead to a “Darwinian moment” for the MGA market.

“It was a unique situation taking over a new role and to then go into lockdown in quite a complex world scenario,” remarks Pen Underwriting’s new chief executive officer, Tom Downey. 

He became the boss of Pen in February as part of a reshuffle at parent company Gallagher. The move saw former Pen head Jonathan Turner become CEO of Gallagher’s UK-based specialty business, among other management changes. 

But Downey highlights that because he had been working with the Pen executive team since he

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