Beazley to Expand Construction and Engineering Team

LONDON, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Beazley, a leading insurer of construction and engineering risks, is expanding and restructuring its global underwriting team to better serve brokers and clients worldwide.

With effect from January 1st 2012, Colin Rose will become global head of construction & engineering at Beazley and will relocate during 2012 to London.  He succeeds Hugh Phillips, who has led the team since 2008 and who plans to retire in 2012.

Colin Rose has been a senior underwriter at Beazley working with Hugh Phillips since both joined Beazley in 2004. Colin previously held senior construction and engineering positions in the London market and Germany and moved to the US in 2009 to establish the US builders risk platform for Beazley. He returns to London to lead the global team and will also underwrite major project business alongside Matthew Larke, the company's construction and engineering underwriter in London.  

Beazley's three teams underwriting construction and engineering business will report into Mr Rose.  These are: London, servicing worldwide business accessed through London brokers; Atlanta, servicing construction clients throughout the US; and Singapore, servicing clients across the Asia Pacific region.

At the end of 2009 Beazley established a builders risk team in the US focusing on US projects and clients that would not normally be seen by our underwriters at Lloyd's. With Mr Rose's return to London, the US builders risk team will be led by Tom Warner, who will be based in Atlanta and an additional builders risk underwriter will be hired by the end of 2011.

In the Asia Pacific region, Beazley's Singapore office will be recruiting an additional underwriter in the coming months to support the continued growth of the business, reporting to Byran Lee, senior underwriter and principal officer.

Mark Bernacki, deputy head of Beazley's Property Group, said:  "Construction and engineering risks are often complex and challenging to underwrite.  This plays to our strengths at Beazley.  Hugh Phillips has led this team with distinction since 2008, leading coverage for many of the world's largest construction projects.  I am confident that under Colin's leadership the team will continue to provide brokers and clients with exemplary underwriting and claims service and our planned recruitment will enable us to further strengthen this line of business."    

Note to editors:

Beazley plc (BEZ.L), is the parent company of specialist insurance businesses with operations in Europe, the US, Asia and Australia.  Beazley manages five Lloyd's syndicates and, in 2010, underwrote gross premiums worldwide of $1,741.6 million.  All Lloyd's syndicates are rated A by A.M. Best. 

Beazley's underwriters in the United States focus on writing a range of specialist insurance products.  In the admitted market, coverage is provided by Beazley Insurance Company, Inc., an A.M. Best A rated carrier licensed in all 50 states.  In the surplus lines market, coverage is provided by the Beazley syndicates at Lloyd's.

Beazley is a market leader in many of its chosen lines, which include professional indemnity, property, marine, reinsurance, accident and life, and political risks and contingency business.

For more information please go to: www.beazley.com

SOURCE Beazley plc