People Moves: Howden Belgium Appoints De Baets as CEO; Liberty Promotes Directors of 3 New Divisions for Marine & Aviation, Specialty, Property

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Howden and Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM).

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Howden Belgium Appoints De Baets as CEO

Howden, the London-based insurance intermediary group, today announces the appointment of Patrick De Baets as CEO, Howden Belgium, effective immediately.

De Baets brings over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, having held senior leadership roles across Belgium and Europe. He joins Howden from Foyer Assurances, where he led the Belgian business, and has previously served as CEO of Touring Assurances (AXA Group) and BNP Paribas Cardif Belgium.

Howden said De Baets‘ deep understanding of the Belgian insurance market and his proven track record in driving innovation and growth make him ideally placed to lead the broker’s next phase of growth and investment in the Belgian market.

Since entering Belgium in 2020, Howden has grown rapidly through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions, including Sarton & Associés, WDR Insurance, Flanders and Dwels. The business has also expanded into Luxembourg, further strengthening its position in the two countries. With a growing team and a strong broker network, Howden Belgium is focused on delivering specialist, client-first solutions to businesses and individuals across the country.

“Belgium is a key market for Howden, and Patrick’s appointment reflects our long-term commitment to investing in local leadership and expertise. His deep knowledge of the market and proven leadership make him the right person to lead our next phase of growth in the region,” commented Enrico Nanni, CCO, Howden Europe and chairman, Howden Belgium.

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Liberty Promotes Directors of 3 New Divisions for Marine & Aviation, Specialty, Property

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, announced new divisional director roles to lead three newly created divisions in its UK & MENA region in the areas of marine & aviation, specialty and property.

The new directors will provide direction and priorities for their divisions, with a clear focus on the needs of clients and brokers, the company said. In addition, LSM’s delegated authority practice will be evolving to better address market trends.

Meghan Walker will lead marine & aviation, comprising aviation, aviation war, marine cargo including the Liberty Cargo Consortium, hull and war, ports & terminals. Walker has significant underwriting and leadership experience, with 13 years at Liberty, heading up the aviation team since 2020. Prior to Liberty she held broking roles at Aon and Lockton.

Mike Burle will lead the specialty division comprising fine art & specie, equine, war & terrorism, contingency, accident & health and market trackers. Burle has extensive experience in the specialty classes. He has been at Liberty for 16 years, holding a variety of roles including head of marine and underwriting manager – war & terrorism, fine art & specie. He retains his role as deputy active underwriter of Liberty’s Syndicate 4472.

International property and UK commercial property will be combined to create a simplified structure, and recruitment is underway for a new divisional director for this division. Dermot Walsh, currently head of commercial property, will transition into a new role of director of UK retail. In this newly created role, he will be responsible for driving our leadership proposition forward in the market across commercial products in the UK retail space. With over 40 years of market experience, Walsh is ideally placed to lead this business.

Lewis Edwards will continue to lead the delegated authority practice (DAP), including governance, management and underwriting of non-specialty binders – property, casualty, EIL, and super-coverholders. Critically a new auto-follow business unit will be established within the DAP. This will be a standalone segment to help maximize the opportunities presented by the bifurcation of the market and algorithmic and digital underwriting. A seasoned underwriting leader, Edwards joined Liberty in 2018 to build the UK and International coverholder business and launched the DAP in 2022.

“These changes are designed to help us deliver our strategic objectives and empower our teams to make better and faster decisions,” commented Luis Prato, president of LSM’s UK & MENA region. “By providing greater alignment with our brokers and clients we will be able to do business more effectively and increase our speed to market.”

Chief underwriting officer, UK & MENA region, Henry Nelson added: “The changes will support the roll-out of our integrated business unit model, which brings together underwriting with all aspects of delivery (claims, operations, finance, portfolio management, etc.) and encourages them to contribute proactively to business success. The new structure offers clear career opportunities for our talented people to build their careers at Liberty.”

Topics Excess Surplus Aviation Property