Lockton Companies Announces New San Diego Office

Lockton Companies Inc., the largest independently owned insurance broker in the U.S., recently announced the opening of a San Diego office. Long-time San Diego insurance veteran and business leader James E. Skeen, Jr., who was named CEO and president of Lockton Insurance Brokers Inc, will head the office, located in the La Jolla Triangle area.

Skeen, who has more than 20 years experience in the insurance industry, moves to Lockton from Marsh Inc. where he served for over 16 years, the last four as senior vice president.

The office will concentrate in the target markets of healthcare, technology, life sciences, retail distribution manufacturing, construction and restaurant chains. The San Diego office will deliver products and services in the following areas: corporate customers with commercial insurance, risk management, mergers & acquisitions, surety bonding, global risk solutions, risk control services, employee benefits, group programs and extended warranties.

The move comes amid times of great challenge and uncertainty in the insurance industry. “Through the 90s, insurance was available and relatively inexpensive—a ‘soft’ market,” Skeen said. “That started to change in 2000 when a number of stressors hit the industry. Long before 9-11-01, we had entered a ‘hard’ market and the tragedy only made it worse. At Lockton, San Diego, we are building an ‘A’ team of very experienced professionals focused solely on the client’s best interests.”

According to Lockton Chairman Emeritus John T. Lockton, III, the ethics issue was the determining factor in the choice of local leadership. “We knew Jim had been a top producer since the late 80’s and that he consistently built winning teams. But more importantly for us, Jim operates from a foundation of unshakeable ethics, and that’s the only way to keep the client’s hard-earned trust year after year.”

Topics Lockton