Independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, BMS Group, has announced the appointment of Chris Brook as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Brook has been slated to join in 2024, following the completion of his contractual obligations. He will report to Nick Cook, Chief Executive Officer of BMS Group.
Brook is a market veteran and joins with vast experience and an impressive career history across both insurance and reinsurance.
Adam Stafford, the former group COO, will take on a new role as group strategy and operations officer for BMS’s UK and international specialty businesses, reporting to Ian Gormley and Nick Gillett.
Throughout his career, Brook has served as the global COO of giants like Gallagher Re and Willis Re. His remit included contributing to strategic growth plans, and overseeing the operations of a global business and has played a significant leading role in global M&A activities and integration.
Most notably, Brook played a critical role in holding Willis Re together during significant disruption over a 20-month period while continuing to deliver strong net growth alongside James Kent, former CEO of Willis Re and Gallagher Re.
Brook’s expertise in executing global M&A strategies and integration, whilst overseeing business operations to underpin a global business. His appointment further marks BMS’s commitment to the acceleration of its organic, operational, and M&A growth supporting the goal to reach $1 billion in revenue.
Brook will join the group executive committee and work directly alongside Cook across all three of BMS’s segments, Specialty, Reinsurance & International. Brook’s remit will further include supporting BMS’s ambition of further enhancing its data and technology capabilities in a strategic move that empowers our clients to thrive in the dynamic and data-driven business landscape.
Cook commented on the appointment, “BMS’s plans for growth have never been more ambitious. In continuing our global expansion plan Chris’s sterling reputation, strategic expertise and deep relationships within the market will be indispensable. He will work alongside me as we further strengthen our hand through a strategy focused on M&A, organic and operational growth across both reinsurance and specialty.
“Chris is a dependable and resourceful leader and his focus on colleagues and clients embodies exactly the character that BMS needs as we scale. I am delighted to welcome him and cannot overstate the impact I see him having in helping steer BMS as COO in the years to come.”
BMS currently aims to build on the momentum gathered following its successful refinancing at the end of 2022 which brought its valuation to £1.75bn and capped off a period of successive investment and increases in valuation.
