Ethos Specialty swipes head of property from Axis

Ascot has appointed a new executive vice president and head of property for ethos specialty, the group’s wholly owned MGU.

Brendan Walsh will be responsible for the management and development of Ethos Specialty’s property portfolio, which provides underwriting services to a range of capital partners. His remit will include the management of the current suite of Ethos programs, the development of new programs and furthering the technical and operational efficiencies that Ethos Specialty offers to clients and insurance partners.

Ethos currently provides four property solutions through its specialty property team: commercial excess property; manufacturing processing & warehousing risks; and two deductible solutions for wind and AOP. Based in Chicago, Walsh will report to Nick Greggains, CEO, Ethos Specialty.

Walsh joins from Axis Insurance where he was senior vice president, E&S Property. During eleven years at the company, he held a range of property underwriting and engineering positions in both Australia and the US. He started his insurance career at FM Global in Sydney, spending eight years managing large client portfolios. A qualified engineer, he spent a decade before entering the insurance market working on automation and systems controls for heavy industries in Asia and Australia.

Commenting on the appointment, Greggains said: “As part of the Ascot Group, Ethos Specialty delivers a unique proposition to our capital providers by providing the highest levels of technical and operational qualities, through innovative programs offered to brokers and clients. A key element of this model is having market-leading underwriters to successfully manage and develop our portfolios over cycles. I’m therefore delighted to welcome Brendan to Ethos Specialty, his business underwriting acumen and experience combines with a proven ability to develop fresh solutions to help address client needs. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to present our distinctive model to the market.”

Walsh added: “Ethos Specialty offers a refreshing difference to the MGU world by providing quality underwriting and operational efficiencies combined with innovative solutions and programs for brokers and insureds. I’m excited to work with Nick and the Ethos Specialty team to help clients with bespoke solutions for their property insurance needs.”

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