Markel International, a subsidiary of the Markel Corporation, has appointed Charlie Richardson, Sarah McCarthy, and Yong Ruay Heah to its renewable energy team.
Richardson will assume the role of head of renewable energy underwriting, where he will be responsible for setting and implementing the underwriting strategy to grow and develop Markel’s presence within the renewable energy market, with a specific focus on the London market.
Alongside Baker and Davies, he will be a key decision maker for the class of business and line sizes the organisation deploys going forward.
Richardson brings 23 years of experience in the insurance industry, including 20 in renewable energy. His career includes a number of senior underwriting roles at renewable energy specialists such as GCube (GCube) Underwriting Limited.
McCarthy joins as an underwriter within the team and will be responsible for growing the onshore renewable book globally, and building on new and existing broker relationships.
She also joins from GCube, where she was at for over 6 years, where she focused on onshore renewables in the UK, Australia, Asia, and Eastern Europe, while supporting the company’s global initiatives.
Both recruits will be based in Markel’s London office, joining current renewable energy underwriter, Tara Swift, to service the rapidly growing London market.
These latest appointments also coincide with the hire of Yong Ruay Heah, who recently joined Markel International’s Singapore office as an assistant underwriter to focus on growing and servicing a renewable energy portfolio of clients in Asia Pacific. Heah joins from insurance broker, Aon.
Baker, also based in Singapore, joined Markel as its global head of renewable energy in July 2020, and is responsible for overall strategy implementation and growth of Markel’s renewable energy product offering.
Collectively, the team possesses over 50 years of experience within the renewable energy insurance market – reinforcing Markel’s commitment to leverage expertise to drive growth in this area of business, and differentiating itself from other recent entrants.
Richardson said: “I’m excited to get in front of brokers, insureds, and to continue building on the great work Markel has done, by accelerating it and moving the business towards becoming one of the most recognised market leaders within renewable energy.
“As with all our processes, we will take a professional and measured approach to underwriting and managing risk, particularly as the London market evolves over time.”
McCarthy commented: “For me, it was important to be part of Markel’s experienced renewable energy team because they have the knowledge, expertise, and mobility within the market, to continue growing this book of business.
“In my new position, I’m looking forward to getting back in touch with brokers and clients, as well as building on our existing customer relationships at Markel.”
Baker commented: “We are delighted to welcome our new recruits to the renewable energy team. With their combined knowledge and expertise, we are confident that we will go from strength-to-strength, deliver a first class service to our clients and brokers, and grow the business.”
Rohan Davies, divisional managing director of energy at Markel International, said: “With Tom in our Singapore office as head of renewable energy, we are well represented in the Asian market.
“Having Charlie, Sarah, and Tara on the ground in London, it gives us the strength and depth to service the global renewable energy market and deliver what our clients expect from Markel – an experienced team, which is empowered to deliver a first class product.”
“The renewable energy market is a hugely exciting space in which to be involved with what we believe is a best-in-class team. Add to that the strength of the Markel group and we deliver on our promise; bold ideas, honest actions.”
