Markel, the insurance operation within Markel Group Inc., has hired Andrew Umphress as the Head of terrorism for North America.
In the role, Umphress will be based at Markel’s New York office and report to Ed Winter, director of terrorism, in London.
Joining Markel’s highly experienced global underwriting team, Umphress will be responsible for managing Markel’s terrorism portfolio in the region, as well as continuing to grow the Active Assailant product.
Markel noted that Umphress’ leadership experience and deep knowledge of the sector will help the company’s North American clients to assess and navigate risks in the evolving war, terrorism, and political violence landscape.
He joins Markel from Munich Re Specialty, where he previously served as Vice President and senior public entity property underwriter. In the role, he assisted executive management in managing Munich Re’s portfolio and developing client relationships.
Prior to that, he was the head of US terrorism at Ambridge Group. He has also previously served as the Associate Vice President war and terrorism and head of wholesale at Validus, where he focused on building out the company’s underwriting team in New York.
“Heightened geopolitical tensions and an increasingly unpredictable threat landscape have brought the need for terrorism and political violence coverage into sharper focus as our clients navigate the complex effects of global conflict,” commented Winter.
“Andrew’s arrival on our team will see him play a central role in enhancing our proposition to meet this challenge across geographies. His proven track record in building cutting edge solutions for clients, coupled with significant expertise in both terrorism risk and the US insurance market, will prove invaluable to our clients in North America. I’m delighted to have Andrew onboard and excited to see him take our offering from strength to strength.”
Markel Group Inc. reported a return to profit for the second quarter and half year periods of 2023, while its combined ratio of 93% for the quarter deteriorated somewhat from the 91% seen a year earlier.
