Blenheim Underwriting has announced the hiring of David Barber as a senior liability treaty underwriter for Syndicate 5886.
According to Blenheim, the appointment is aimed at developing a portfolio of niche liability classes through longstanding delegated authority or reinsurance relationships. Barber is poised to add what the underwriting business called a “significant pillar” to the syndicate’s offerings.
The key hire transitions to Blenheim from Fortegra where Barber worked for four years. Before that, he spent two and a half decades at Chaucer, leading the liability division.
“Barber’s portfolio comprises MGA/MGU/delegated authority business (managing general agent / managing general underwriter) in the US, UK, and Europe, 65% of which is lead business and has outperformed market results for the original binder classes,” Blenheim noted.
“The classes of business written will include US E&O (errors and omissions), medical malpractice (allied health and life sciences), financial institutions, and general liability.”
The seasoned underwriter, meanwhile, will have access to the syndicate’s resources.
Highlighting the importance of Barber’s addition, Blenheim chief executive John Lynch said: “To attract an individual of David’s calibre reflects very favourably on us. We can offer underwriters a home to build their own books and develop their own teams within the shared infrastructure and security of a larger, experienced, well-financed independent underwriting group.
“David’s joining will be instrumental in our drive and ambition to profitably scale our business, in this case with a diversified portfolio with no over-reliance on any class.”
The CEO also lifted the lid on their growth strategy, stating: “Blenheim’s owners White Bear are looking to selectively build our MGA and Lloyd’s business with high-performing underwriting teams. We have top quartile performance in Lloyd’s for 2023 and a real desire to further expand our operations.”
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