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Articles by John Speckman
BMS sees the return of their early careers programme with nine new…
BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the commencement of the 2nd edition of their early careers apprenticeship programme in London. Founded in 2023, the programme aims to develop and nurture a pipeline of skilled account handling and enabling colleagues, essential to supporting BMS’ ambitious growth plans over the next five years.
BMS bolsters leadership team with new group chief broking officer
BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Richard Dudley as Group Chief Broking Officer. Based in London, Dudley will report to BMS Group’s CEO, Nick Cook. Dudley joins BMS with over 30 years of industry experience, including two decades in leadership roles.
BMS Re appoints Latin American and Caribbean CEO
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of global broker BMS Group, today announces the appointment of Anthony Mirabal as CEO of the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Division, effective November 2024.
Brad Melvin appointed president and CEO, BMS Re, US
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of global broker BMS Group, today announces the appointment of Brad Melvin as President and Chief Executive Officer, BMS Re, US, effective from November. Melvin will report to Group CEO Nick Cook. Melvin will lead BMS Re US operations with a focus on delivering strategic goals and driving growth across its MGA, regional specialty, facultative reinsurance, healthcare and capital solutions and advisory lines.
BMS strengthens global healthcare offering with appointment of Head…
BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Anna Painter as Head of Global Healthcare Technical Operations. Based in London, Painter will report to Rob Wendin, Managing Director of the Global Healthcare Liability Division. In this newly created role, Painter will oversee technical operations, supporting the division’s broader aim of providing best-in-class levels of service and solutions for healthcare providers.
BMS appoints new practice leader to bolster mining offering
BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Spencer Pearce as Mining Practice Leader. Based in London, Pearce will report to Chris Ritchie, Managing Director, International Direct & Facultative, Global Risks, and will join in November.
BMS Group agrees to acquire leading UK broker David Roberts & Partners
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker has entered into an agreement to acquire David Roberts & Partners (DR&P). Founded in 1977, DR&P is firmly established as one of the fastest growing UK brokers, and is listed as one of the UK’s leading independent insurance brokers. DR&P has a team of almost 400 people in 25 offices across the UK and Europe, handling in excess of £620 million GWP for their clients.
Hannah Watkins promoted to UK chief growth officer
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, is pleased to announce that Hannah Watkins has been promoted to UK Chief Growth Officer, effective immediately. Watkins will continue to report to Ian Gormley, BMS Group UK CEO, and be based in London. In this newly created role, Watkins will lead the development and execution of BMS’s client-first growth plan.
BMS Re hires Farah Nelson as Chief Financial Officer US
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, is pleased to announce that Farah Nelson has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer, subject to regulatory approvals. Based in New York, Nelson will report to Charlie Rozes, Group CFO and join the BMS Re board. Along with Morna Leather, UK and International CFO, and Charlie Rozes, Group CFO, who was announced to have joined earlier this week, Nelson’s appointment completes BMS Group’s financial executive structure.
Charlie Rozes joins BMS as Group CFO and Executive Director
BMS Group (BMS), the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Charlie Rozes as Group CFO and executive director. Based in London, Rozes will report to Nick Cook, BMS Group CEO, and will join in November. Rozes will be taking over from Nick Moss, Group finance director, who will be retiring from the business.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/08/2024
Beryl Final Chapter – U.S. Landfall Late last night, Hurricane Beryl regained hurricane intensity about five hours before making landfall this morning at 4 AM CDT, local time, near Matagorda, Texas, which has a population of 383 people. This is the first U.S. landfalling tropical system of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season. Hurricane Beryl's journey is a unique one.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/07/2024
Beryl's journey, now nearing its end after nine days, has been a significant one. It has set numerous records, making 2024 the most active start to a hurricane season in terms of the Accumulated Cyclone Energy Index (ACE), with a staggering 34 points. This surpasses the ACE of any storm from the busy 2020 season and even the entirety of the five quietest seasons since 1950.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/06/2024
After traveling approximately 3,600 miles, primarily as a major hurricane, Beryl has transitioned into a somewhat disorganized tropical storm after encountering the Yucatan peninsula most of yesterday. The current satellite presentation is a far cry from its former glory as a category 5 hurricane around the Windward Islands.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/05/2024
Believe it or not, Hurricane Beryl has now been a named storm entity in the Atlantic basin for one full week. On Friday, June 28th, it became a tropical depression 1,225 miles east southeast of Barbados.
BMS appoints new Director to bolster presence in Japan
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, announces today the appointment of Ryo Iizuka as a Director of the Private Equity, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Tax (PEMAT) in Japan. Based in Tokyo, Iizuka will report to Tim Hewitt, Head of BMS Japan, and joins effective immediately.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/03/2024
After taking a day and a half tracking across the central Caribbean Sea as a major hurricane, Major Beryl is starting to weaken slightly due to the increase in wind shear that was discussed in our Tropical Update yesterday. However, this weakening is not occurring fast enough to protect the island nation of Jamaica, which, over the next 12 hours or so, will be facing the impacts of Beryl's strongest winds that occur on the right front quadrant of the storm.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/02/2024
As we posted yesterday in our BMS Tropical Update, there was a possibility that Beryl would reach a Category 5 hurricane status, a feat it ended up achieving last night. Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, any time a month, are exceedingly rare having occurred only 41 other times since 1851.
The Perils of Dry Powder: Exploring the Risks in the Venture Capital…
Having seen an explosion in activity coinciding with the outbreak of Covid-19, venture capital (VC) investment activity has been registering a significant decline in the years since the pandemic. According to data from S&P Global, the value of VC funding rounds globally dropped 34% year-on-year to $14.09bn in November – the lowest November total since 2020 – while the number of rounds declined by over a quarter.
BMS Tropical Update - 07/01/2024
If you were busy this weekend, you might have been a bit surprised at the rapid development of Hurricane Beryl. You might also have completely missed the short-lived third storm of the season, tropical Storm Chris, that formed in the Bay of Campeche. On average, the third Atlantic named storm forms on August 3rd. In reality, the insurance industry should not be surprised as the forecast since early spring has been calling for a hyperactive season.
BMS Tropical Update - 06/26/2024
In terms of the metrics used to measure storm activity, the entire Northern Hemisphere is considered below normal. The Northern Hemisphere Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) is only 21% of normal. Not a single named storm has occurred in the East Pacific, which is now close to a record late start, and there has been only one typhoon in the Northwest Pacific so far this year.
Ali Trauttmansdorff joins BMS Group as Chief People Officer
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has appointed Ali Trauttmansdorff as Group chief people officer, effective immediately. Trauttmansdorff, who will be based in London, will report to Nick Cook, BMS Group CEO, and join BMS’s executive committee.
BMS Severe Weather Update - 05/29/2024
Stay “Buckled Up” For Just a bit longer About one month ago, our April 24th BMS Severe Weather told the insurance industry to “Buckle Up” as we sounded the alarm that a sequel was in the making for another very busy severe weather season. This BMS severe weather update offers up some good news as there appears to be a change in the North American weather pattern that would be less conducive to the formation of severe weather over parts of the Central Plains states by the middle of June.
BMS Tropical Update - 05/28/2024
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins in four days, and it looks like this will be the first time since 2014 that we likely will not have a named storm form in the North Atlantic Ocean before June 2nd. In fact, something you might not hear in the media is that the North Hemisphere is off to a historically slow start. Just this weekend, the first named storm occurred in the Northern Hemisphere, with Typhoon Ewiniar forming in the West Pacific basin.
BMS Re strengthens MGA business ProLink Solutions with six hires
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, today announces the appointment of six new hires to its dedicated MGA business, ProLink Solutions (“ProLink”). The hires include one Executive Vice President, Alicia Santocki, two Senior Vice Presidents, Scott Fields and Stephanie Fick, two Assistant Vice Presidents, Colin Curran, and Charles Ill, with Cora Cruz joining the team as an Executive Assistant.
BMS launches new Global Healthcare division with Rob Wendin to lead
BMS, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the launch of its new Global Healthcare liability division with Rob Wendin as Managing Director. The new division will provide solutions and guidance to healthcare providers and their insurers and access to BMS’s broad range of insurance, reinsurance and risk management services and products. Wendin joined in December 2023 and is based in London.
BMS Severe Weather Update - 04/24/2024
Sequel In The Making The highly anticipated sequel to the 1996 disaster classic, “Twister,” is set to hit theaters this summer on July 19th. However, the insurance industry is already reliving the squeal of yet another busy, severe weather season, which has already experienced over $10B of insurance industry loss, with the most recent severe weather events still being tallied.
BMS Re appoints John Canavan as US COO
BMS Re, the rapidly expanding specialty reinsurance arm of global broker BMS Group, today announces the appointment of John Canavan as Chief Operating Officer, US, effective 1st May 2024. Canavan will report to Chris Brook, Group COO, and Andrew Wheeler, President, BMS Re. Canavan joins having held previous operational roles at Willis Re, Guy Carpenter and more recently AIG, where he was the Global COO of Reinsurance.
BMS Tropical Update - Early Season Atlantic Basin Outlook
No Dramatic Headline Needed By now, you might have seen some eye-opening media headlines about the upcoming hurricane season: “Long-range forecasts suggest 2024 hurricane season from hell” from https://www.artemis.bm/. In fact, the industry-trusted source, Colorado State University, led by Dr. Philip Klotzbach, will not be issuing their forecast until April 4th. Even then, based on the April forecasts from CSU, they do not have the skill that the June or August forecasts have.
BMS adopts Artificial Labs’ Contract Builder as part of its digital…
BMS, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, is pleased to announce it has partnered with Artificial Labs, the algorithmic underwriting specialists, to adopt their Contract Builder as part of a programme to use digital placing initiatives across the brokerage. The digital contract-building platform is set to be initially rolled out to several business lines within BMS in February 2024, with additional lines onboarding the platform throughout the remainder of the year.
BMS strengthens its upstream energy capability with new director hire
BMS, the independent insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Rob Neighbour as Divisional Director, BMS Energy, following completion of his contractual obligations. Based in London, he will report to Alex Collier, director of energy at BMS. Neighbour will join from Alesco Risk Management Services, where he rose from partner to head of upstream broking, and most recently executive partner.
Pete Chandler steps down as BMS Re Chief Executive Officer to become…
BMS Re, the rapidly expanding specialty reinsurance arm of global broker BMS Group, today announces that Andrew Wheeler and Russ McGuire have been appointed as interim co-CEOs of BMS Re. The appointments follow Pete Chandler stepping down as CEO and transitioning to a strategic, client-focused, role as Vice-Chair of BMS Re. Chandler will remain a Director on the US board.
Arctic Blast 2024
Arctic Blast 2024 Unfortunately, the insurance industry is no stranger to winter storm losses. In fact, losses have totalled over $40B over the last ten years for the insurance industry. All too recently, about 37% of that loss came from the severe winter weather that occurred over the month of February 2021, which saw losses accumulate from freezing temperatures, ice accumulation, power outages, snow, wind, and, in some localized areas, flooding.
BMS completes acquisition of Berns Brett Masaood and rebrands to BMS…
BMS, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has completed its majority stake acquisition of Berns Brett Masaood (BBM), a leading UAE insurance broker established in 2007 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This is BMS’ first acquisition in the region and testifies to BMS’ ambitious growth plans. In 2023 alone, BMS successfully completed 10 acquisitions and a 30% growth across its core pillars of specialty, reinsurance, and international.
2023 U.S. Weather Extremes Summary in Charts and Maps
2023 U.S. Weather Extremes Summary in Charts and Maps With only a handful of days left in 2023, we can now summarize U.S. weather extremes that impacted the insurance industry this past year in some charts and maps. In summary, U.S. weather extremes were very normal despite what one might have seen over mass media or how they might have played out on individual insurance company results, which we know can have influence far beyond the weather extremes themselves.
BMS Tropical Update 11/30/2023
Tropical Update 11/30/2023 - Lucky Season Plenty of seasonal reviews are being posted on the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season. Although this BMS tropical update will review some of the meteorological highlights of the season, the content will be focused on what the insurance industry needs to know in terms of impacts. Specifically, we will focus on how the 2023 season might have changed our risk perception and, of course, explain some of the luck that has occurred.
BMS Group appoints Andras Bohm as head of U.S. Capital Advisory
BMS Group, the rapidly-expanding global specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has today announced the appointment of Andras Bohm as the head of its U.S. Capital Advisory business and the CEO of BMS Capital Advisory, Inc. (BMS Groups’ U.S. broker-dealer) subject to regulatory approvals. Bohm will be responsible for leading the broker’s investment banking and legacy solutions team in New York, working with his UK and Bermuda counterparts and will report to BMS Re CEO, Pete Chandler.
BMS announces completion of Eurazeo investment and appointment of…
BMS Group (BMS) the independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the formal completion of the French private equity firm Eurazeo’s investment in the group. Completion of the transaction follows receipt of regulatory approval. Additionally, its completion coincides with the appointment of Emmanuel Clarke as chairman.
BMS Group acquires Canadian Company Smith & Reid Insurance Brokers…
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, have acquired Canada-based insurance broker, Smith & Reid Insurance Brokers Ltd along with O’Neil Insurance. Led by president Jeff Smith and vice-president Dan Reid, the brokerage provides expertise in specialised lines of business, including construction, real estate portfolios, oil and petrol distribution and auto dealerships.
BMS Group appoints Tim Hewitt as head of Japan
BMS Group appoints Tim Hewitt as Head of Japan Experienced lawyer and executive Tim Hewitt to lead BMS operations in Japan, focusing on insurance solutions for complex M&A transactions The appointment will accelerate BMS Group’s strategic growth plans in Asia BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has today announced the appointment of Tim Hewitt as Head of BMS in Japan.
BMS Hires Chris Brook as Group COO
BMS, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, is delighted to announce the appointment of Chris Brook as Chief Operating Officer of BMS Group. He is anticipated to join in 2024, following the completion of his contractual obligations. Brook, who will report directly to Nick Cook, CEO of BMS Group, joins with vast experience and an impressive career history across both insurance and reinsurance.
BMS Re appoints Russell McGuire as Head of Origination
BMS Re, the rapidly-expanding specialty reinsurance arm of global broker BMS Group, today announces the appointment of Russell McGuire as Head of Origination. Sitting on the Executive Committee and based in New York, he will report to BMS Re CEO, Pete Chandler.
BMS Group acquires Brazilian reinsurance broker KNW
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, is delighted to announce the acquisition of Sao Paulo-based reinsurance broker, KNW Brokers Corretora de Resseguros Ltd (“KNW”). KNW is a Brazilian reinsurance broker with deep expertise in providing tailored reinsurance solutions to its clients on traditional and specialized segments such as, energy, property, construction, marine, clinical trials and fine arts.
BMS Re supercharges global facultative practice launch with prominent…
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, today announced the appointment of Steve Housse as managing director and facultative practice lead and Dan Shea as senior vice president of property facultative. Both will be based in Atlanta, GA. Steve Housse, a well-known leader in the property facultative space, joins from Guy Carpenter where he led the US property practice. Housse will spearhead the expansion of the US property and energy offering.
BMS Group acquires Brisbane-based insurance broker Bluebook
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has entered into an agreement to acquire Brisbane-based specialty broker Bluebook Insurance Brokers. The deal is the sixth Australian acquisition by BMS in the past 12 months as the company looks to grow their operations in Australia. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Bluebook was founded in 2018 and offers tailored insurance broking, risk management and claims handling services.
BMS Re strengthens Bermuda office with appointment of Brendan O'Brien
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, today announces the appointment of Brendan O’Brien as Vice President. Based in Bermuda, O’Brien will report to Chris McDowell, CEO of BMS Re Bermuda. O’Brien will support BMS Re’s alternative risk transfer initiatives as well as contributing to the traditional reinsurance and retro activities across the platform.
BMS Re promueve a Juan Carlos Gómez como CEO de América-Latina y el…
BMS Re, el brazo de Reaseguro especializado del Broker global BMS, se complace en anunciar la promoción de Juan Carlos Gómez a la posición de Chief Executive Officer (CEO) de BMS Re Latino-América y el Caribe, con efecto inmediato. En su nuevo rol, Gómez estará basado en Miami y le reportará al CEO de BMS International: Nick Gillett.
Andrew Wheeler promoted to President of BMS Re
BMS Re, the expansive specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, today announces the promotion of Andrew Wheeler to President. He will take up the position effective immediately. Wheeler will report to Pete Chandler, CEO of BMS Re. A veteran of BMS, Wheeler assumes the role with more than 20 years of experience within the organisation. Wheeler’s expertise covers casualty, P&C, treaty, and refinance across both the London and US markets.
BMS Group acquires Australian MGA - Deal allows BMS to diversify its…
BMS Group, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, has acquired GARD Insurance Pty Ltd, which includes ALE underwriting. The terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. GARD was founded in 2015 and provides public and products liability & associated professional indemnity insurance to a diverse range of businesses from Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through to multinational businesses.
Erik Soria joins BMS Re as Head of New Business Solutions and Co-head…
BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance broker, has appointed Erik Soria as head of new business solutions and co-head of casualty broking, effective March 2023. Based in New York, Soria reports to Sean Ryan, deputy chief executive officer, and will lead the development of BMS Re’s new business solutions team. Soria joins from Conduit Re, where he has served as the head of US casualty since 2021. Prior to this, Soria was senior vice president of treaty casualty at SiriusPoint for four years.
BMS appoints Morna Leather as UK and international CFO
BMS, the independent specialist insurance and reinsurance broker, today announces the appointment of Morna Leather as Chief Financial Officer of UK and international for BMS, and will join in the Summer. Based in London, Leather will report to Nick Moss, Group Finance Director of BMS. In her role, Leather will support BMS’ UK CEO, Ian Gormley, and International CEO, Nick Gillett, in their respective roles.
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