DUAL, the underwriting arm of Howden Group Holdings, has announced the appointment of James O’Connor as CEO of DUAL North America.
With immediate effect, he will become a member of DUAL’s Group Executive Committee, reporting to Richard Clapham, CEO, DUAL Group.
O’Connor joins DUAL Group from Willis Towers Watson where he was most recently EVP and Head of Middle Market & Specialty Broking, North America.
His career that includes 14 years with Willis Towers Watson and 18 years with Marsh as a managing director in the broker’s Dallas and San Francisco offices.
“The US is the largest MGU market in the world and DUAL’s ambitions match the size of the opportunity,” said David Howden, CEO, Howden Group Holdings.
“In the US market, DUAL is quite simply unique as we bring over two decades of underwriting excellence and remain firmly committed to independence. As we look ahead, DUAL is determined to take the lead in defining what the underwriting business of the future looks like,” Howden continued.
“Jim has an impressive track record of delivering growth and his deep understanding of the US distribution market will be invaluable as we embark on the next stage of our underwriting journey, with growth in North America playing a key role. This promises to be a game-changing time for DUAL.”
Richard Clapham also commented: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Jim O’Connor to DUAL. DUAL has always been about the tremendous calibre of its people and this appointment absolutely reflects that.”
“Jim is a hugely well respected industry professional with an impressive career that plays to DUAL’s strengths,” Clapham added. “His extensive experience will bring greater added value to our own world class distribution and reputation for underwriting expertise. As part of our global leadership team, I know that Jim’s insight and energy will also make a great contribution to our wider international growth plans.”
Finally, O’Connor stated: “Joining DUAL is a unique opportunity and I couldn’t be more excited. This is a world leading organisation with both the expertise and the scale to achieve significant growth in the US. DUAL is already a top 20 MGU in the US market but has the potential to be so much more.”
