Barbican unveils US E&S property MGA with Ariel Specialty hires

Barbican Insurance Group has established a new US specialty managing general agency (MGA) led by Colin Mayo, the former executive vice president and chief underwriting officer at Ariel Specialty.

Barbican Specialty US will provide wholesale excess & surplus (E&S) property insurance solutions for small-to-medium-sized commercial operations along the southeastern coast of the US.

Based in Atlanta and Kansas City, Barbican Specialty US will operate exclusively through wholesale brokers and focuses primarily on providing multi-peril insurance products for risks such as wind/hail, and AOP including flood and earthquake.

The company’s regional scope will extend from Virginia to Texas, providing cover for commercial operations ranging from retail outlets and condominiums, to nursing homes and hotels.

Mayo has over 30 years of industry experience. Prior to Ariel Specialty, he also held senior underwriting positions at Rockhill Insurance Company, where he was chief property officer, ERC/GE Insurance Solutions, where he was head of global catastrophe underwriting, and English & American Group, where he was an underwriting manager.

Mayo will be supported by Bob Losasso as head of property and insurance operations, and Kim Thomas as chief risk officer.

Losasso has over 25 years of experience in the re/insurance industry, and was previously senior vice president of property E&S at Ariel Specialty. Thomas has nearly 15 years of experience in the E&S industry and was previously VP of risk management at Ariel Specialty.

Mayo said: "We believe that the property E&S sector in the US offers significant growth potential. We have an extremely experienced underwriting team who are well placed to capitalise on this. We will look to build on our strong broker relationships, based on our thorough understanding of client needs and ability to offer a swift and responsive claims service."

David Reeves, Group CEO of Barbican, added: "At Barbican, we have secured a reputation for building successful, service-driven underwriting platforms. Establishing a physical presence in North America is a key part of our expansion plans. The Barbican Specialty US team have worked together for over a decade and have an impressive track record in this sector, I have no doubt they will prove to be an excellent addition to the group."

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