This week’s insurance industry appointments include a new group chief operating officer at Markerstudy Group and the appointment of a senior bloodstock underwriter at London-based Specialty MGA, part of MNK Group.
Markerstudy Group Appoints Laura Walker as Group COO
Markerstudy Group has appointed Laura Walker as its new group chief operating officer, subject to regulatory approval. She will report directly to group CEO Kevin Spencer.
Walker joined Markerstudy following its acquisition of Atlanta Group in 2024, initially serving as strategic change director under Emma Rawlinson. Before joining the insurance group, she held senior positions at Danaher and General Electric.
The Atlanta Group acquisition, completed in June 2024, added approximately £1 billion in premiums and more than 2,000 employees to Markerstudy. The transaction also brought brands such as Swinton and Carole Nash into the group.
Since the acquisition, Markerstudy has reorganised its broking operations by establishing a dedicated retail division. The combined business now generates approximately £3 billion in annual gross written premiums and employs around 7,300 people.
Markerstudy’s managing general agent (MGA) business is among the UK’s largest providers of personal lines capacity to brokers. Walker’s appointment brings operational leadership under an executive with experience in strategic change and integration. The move could support greater consistency across the group’s operations, with potential implications for the service standards and processes experienced by brokers working with the business.
Specialty MGA Appoints David Higgins as Senior Bloodstock Underwriter
Specialty MGA, part of MNK Group, has appointed David Higgins as senior underwriter for bloodstock. Based in London, Higgins will lead efforts to develop the MGA’s international bloodstock portfolio.
Higgins brings more than 40 years of underwriting experience across bloodstock and aviation. He previously headed the bloodstock unit at Novae Underwriting before overseeing its transfer to Castel, where he managed underwriting activities and the business plan. He later returned to Castel in a consultancy capacity.
Higgins has also served as a member of the Lloyd’s aviation and bloodstock committees.
The new bloodstock account will initially provide additional underwriting capacity for high-value stallions. The portfolio is expected to expand to cover racehorses, broodmares, major stud farms and high-value sport horses.
The MGA will target markets across Australasia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
Bloodstock insurance is a specialist market in which securing sufficient capacity for the most valuable animals can be challenging. Specialty MGA’s additional capacity for high-value stallions, supported by Higgins’ extensive underwriting experience and established international broker relationships, offers brokers another potential option when arranging large and complex placements.
