Recent appointments across the insurance sector highlight developments in UK property and casualty underwriting, marine hull and war risks, small business distribution, and specialty insurance expansion in Central and Eastern Europe.
Chaucer Appoints Ryan Cushway as Head of UK Property and Casualty
Chaucer has appointed Ryan Cushway as head of UK property and casualty (P&C), effective immediately, as the specialty insurer continues to develop its UK P&C business.
Cushway joins Chaucer from Sompo, where he served as head of international and UK casualty. He has also held senior positions at Aspen in similar insurance classes and previously worked at Liberty Specialty Markets.
Paul Restarick, head of non-marine insurance at Chaucer, described the appointment as a significant investment in the company’s property and casualty capabilities, highlighting the capacity being committed to the business.
Chaucer’s expansion into UK P&C could provide brokers with another source of underwriting capacity. However, competition in the soft commercial insurance market remains a key consideration, with pricing, policy terms and the insurer’s evolving underwriting appetite likely to influence its market position.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Appoints Carsten Keune as Poland Country Manager
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has entered the Polish market, appointing Carsten Keune as country manager for Poland. In this role, Keune will oversee the company’s operations in Poland and support its business across Central and Eastern Europe.
The appointment marks a further step in BHSI’s regional expansion and creates an additional option for brokers arranging multinational insurance programmes involving Polish and wider Central and Eastern European risks.
For London-based brokers managing international placements, BHSI’s local presence could offer additional capacity for local policies and multinational insurance arrangements, depending on the insurer’s underwriting capabilities and appetite.
Simply Business Names Kulchetan Sanga and Mark Potter to Senior Leadership Roles
Digital insurance broker Simply Business has announced two senior appointments, naming Kulchetan Sanga as UK chief commercial officer and Mark Potter as managing director of its in-house managing general agent (MGA).
Sanga will lead the company’s commercial function, including partnerships, product strategy and customer propositions. His background includes senior roles at price comparison websites and media organisations, as well as experience scaling consumer finance platforms.
Potter brings more than 20 years of insurance industry experience, including work scaling MGA and underwriting businesses and securing insurer and reinsurance capacity.
The appointments strengthen Simply Business’s commercial and underwriting leadership as it competes in the small business and landlord insurance markets. Sanga’s experience in comparison-led distribution and Potter’s underwriting expertise could support the company’s efforts to expand distribution and improve underwriting performance, potentially increasing competitive pressure in the micro and small business insurance segment.
Gallagher Appoints Darren Rowland as Executive Director of Hull and War Risks
Gallagher has appointed Darren Rowland as executive director of hull and war risks within its global marine practice. Based in London, Rowland will report to Andrew James, the practice’s managing director of marine.
Rowland has more than 40 years of experience in marine insurance broking. He joins Gallagher from ATL, a specialist Lloyd’s marine and energy broker, where he served as lead marine broker for seven years. Before joining ATL, he spent more than two decades at Willis in senior marine broking positions in London and Hong Kong.
Marine hull and war risks remain particularly sensitive to geopolitical developments, which can trigger rapid changes in designated risk areas, additional premiums and the availability of insurance cover. Gallagher’s appointment of an experienced marine broker strengthens its expertise in a market where established relationships with underwriters are increasingly important.
Together, these appointments reflect continued activity across specialty insurance, digital distribution and marine broking, as insurers and intermediaries strengthen their leadership teams and position themselves for changing market conditions.
