Castel appoints head of specialty from Arch

Castel Underwriting Agencies (Castel), the club-style MGA formation platform, has appointed Raoul Carlos as head of specialty.

The appointment comes as Castel structures its underwriting cells and MGAs into a number of centres of excellence focused on core classes of business. Carlos will head up the Specialty Centre of Excellence and be responsible for the strategy and execution of underwriting performance and portfolio management for seven classes of business. Other centres of excellence will include Construction and Engineering and Warranty and Indemnity.

Carlos joins Castel from Arch Insurance International where he was head of onshore energy with oversight of the development and delivery of global downstream, midstream, power and renewables classes of business. Previously, he spent five years with Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, in both London and Zurich, underwriting mining and onshore energy risks, with a developmental focus on the Middle East and North Africa region.

Mark Birrell, chief executive of Castel, said: “Castel has built a strong track record and proven model supporting entrepreneurial underwriters. To support the next phase of our growth we have initially established three centres of excellence and are strengthening the management team to maximise their strategic and operational impact. Raoul brings us significant expertise in managing and delivering strong-performing portfolios of specialty lines business.”

Carlos added: “The centres of excellence strategy will enable Castel to optimise the performance of its existing classes for the underwriters and our carrier partners. We will also continue to identify new opportunities for entrepreneurial underwriters with robust business plans to expand our portfolio.”