Ed, the global reinsurance, wholesale and specialty broker, today announced the expansion of its professional and executive risks offering with five appointments. The team, led by Paul Richards, managing director comprises:
- James Baird, director
- Neal Hughes, divisional director
- Rupert Alabaster, divisional director
- James Faith, producer / broker
The professional & executive risks team brings together the new joiners and Ed’s established professional risk offering led by Mark Lowndes who has been with the company since 2004.
Richards has over 30 years insurance experience gained through underwriting, broking and senior leadership positions. He has specialised in financial and professional risk insurance for nearly 20 years as a partner at JLT and senior partner at Glencairn (latterly Willis Group). He led the financial institutions team at Willis Towers Watson’s FINEX division and most recently led sales development as an executive director of their financial lines division before joining Ed as managing director of the professional & executive risk team.
Baird brings over two decades of experience to his new role. He joins from Willis Towers Watson where he served as executive director, FINEX most recently leading their specialist wealth and asset manager and offshore financial services team providing solutions direct to customers and to US financial institutions.
Hughes brings 20 years’ market experience, nearly a decade of which he has spent in the financial institutions sector, to his new role. He joins from Willis Towers Watson where he served as a divisional director of the FINEX division and specialised in the servicing and placement of UK and offshore financial institution and professional clients.
Alabaster joins from BMS where, as group director, professional and financial services he led a team focusing on delegated authority business for specialty lines and brings this experience to grow market share in this sector.
Faith brings nearly five years’ experience to Ed. He joins from Willis Towers Watson where he served as a divisional director focusing on servicing financial institution and professional clients in the FINEX division. Previously Faith serviced private equity clients whilst in a financial public relations firm.
Chris Bonard, CEO, Ed Specialty said: “These appointments exemplify the scale of our ambitions at Ed. In every line of business we want to bring together the market’s leading talent to complement our existing expertise. Our professional risk offering is a recognised market leader which boasts a number of sector leading businesses within its portfolio. With these appointments our new professional and executive risks team will be second to none and I am certain that they will quickly establish themselves as the leading providers of solutions for businesses in the financial institutions and professional services sectors and in international financial centres.
Paul Richards said “The opportunity to expand our team and offering to clients at Ed is clear. We are combining the broad and deep expertise of the expanded team to deliver personalised client service within Ed’s unique business model. The combination of our people’s knowledge of this specialist area together with Ed’s independence and entrepreneurial approach enables us to offer a genuine alternative to our clients. We will grow our cyber capabilities as well as develop our partnerships with other independent retail brokers and Brokerslink members to create opportunities and solutions for their clients. In certain sectors of the insurance market we may be reaching a tipping point, meaning clients in this space will require brokers with the requisite experience, deep market relationships and speed of response to deliver results.”