Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has added Manchester to its roster of locations as the Boston-based insurance behemoth continues its British expansion.
Coinciding with the office launch is the appointment of three national product line leaders – UK national property manager Irfan Esa, UK national casualty manager Gemma McKenzie, and UK national executive & professional lines manager James Burke. Esa brings more than 17 years of experience in technical property underwriting; McKenzie, over two decades of casualty underwriting expertise; and Burke, 16 years of financial lines know-how.
Commenting on their arrival, BHSI UK & Europe head Chris Colahan said: “We are pleased to expand our on-the-ground capabilities in the UK, installing stellar product leadership and the foundation to continue to grow our team in our new office in Manchester.
“With this leadership team, coupled with Mark Walker, head of customer & broker engagement for the UK, we look forward to expanding our local market relationships – and spreading BHSI’s clear-cut, customer-focussed underwriting and ‘CLAIMS IS OUR PRODUCT’ philosophy to customers throughout the UK.”
The Manchester operations will initially provide property, casualty, and executive & professional lines before offering a full spectrum of additional coverages such as marine, transactional liability, construction, and life sciences, in collaboration with the insurer’s specialty teams in London.
Aside from its offices in Boston, London, and now Manchester, BHSI is also present in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Indianapolis, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, San Ramon, Seattle, and Stevens Point. Outside the US, the insurer operates in Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cologne, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, Perth, Singapore, Sydney, and Toronto.
