Blenheim Underwriting is pleased to announce the appointment of David Barber as a senior liability treaty underwriter on Syndicate 5886. Barber is well known and respected in the market and is aiming to build a portfolio of niche liability classes, written via long-standing delegated authority/ reinsurance relationships. His arrival marks a new chapter in the development of Syndicate 5886, as Barber’s book of business becomes another significant pillar of the syndicate’s portfolio.
Barber joins from Fortegra where he has been for the past four years, and prior to that spent 25 years at Chaucer where he was head of the liability division.
Barber’s portfolio comprises MGA/MGU/delegated authority business in the US, UK and Europe, 65% of which is lead business and has outperformed market results for the original binder classes. The classes of business written will include US E&O, medical malpractice (allied health and life sciences), financial institutions and general liability.
John Lynch, Blenheim CEO, said: “To attract an individual of David’s calibre reflects very favourably on us. We can offer underwriters a home to build their own books and develop their own teams within the shared infrastructure and security of a larger, experienced, well-financed independent underwriting group. David’s joining will be instrumental in our drive and ambition to profitably scale our business, in this case with a diversified portfolio with no over reliance on any class.
“Blenheim’s owners White Bear are looking to selectively build our MGA and Lloyd’s business with high-performing underwriting teams. We have top quartile performance in Lloyd’s for 2023 and a real desire to further expand our operations.”