BMS Group snaps up Willis duo to drive US expansion plans

Specialist re/insurance broker BMS Group has hired two senior executives from Willis Towers Watson to support its expansion plans in the US.

Bradley Nebel joins as branch manager in Chicago and Mariel Biancardi as casualty facultative senior vice president based in Houston.

Nebel will focus on developing treaty and facultative solutions and client relationships, as well as spearheading the expansion of the existing BMS Chicago presence. Biancardi will add expertise and resources to build out BMS’s casualty facultative operations nationally.

Nebel has more than 17 years of underwriting and broking experience, specialising in programme business and global facultative casualty risk transfer. He joins from Willis Towers Watson, where he was most recently senior vice president and has been instrumental in building the team’s presence in the Chicago/Midwest market since 2016. Prior to that, Nebel spent six years at The Jack Nebel Companies as senior underwriter & broker, where he led the team in coordinating with Lloyd’s and local retail insurance agents. Nebel also worked at Nautilus Insurance Company between 2008 and 2010.

Biancardi has over 16 years’ experience as a reinsurance broker. Before joining BMS, she was a senior vice president at Willis Tower Watson in New York and Houston since 2010, leading the team’s facultative reinsurance programmes and supporting multiple specialty lines. Biancardi also served as reinsurance broker at Guy Carpenter between 2004 and 2010, where she managed key facultative accounts and lead new business development.

In their new roles, Nebel will report to Jonah Pfeffer, chief casualty officer at BMS’s US reinsurance arm, and Biancardi will report to Rich Macrane, EVP, casualty facultative leader.

Pfeffer said: “BMS’s reinsurance broking team differentiates itself from its peers by investing heavily in talent and resources to constantly develop our technical skills and industry knowledge. Brad’s extensive market relationships and experience in commercial markets will contribute greatly to our Chicago team while Mariel’s expertise in a number of specialty lines will support our long-term, strategic growth plan within the facultative reinsurance segment.

“We would like to welcome Brad and Mariel to our team and we are confident that they will deliver their experience, professionalism and energy to our clients and prospective clients through our established ‘One BMS’ platform.”