Sompo International has revealed it is launching a new European specialty insurance underwriting operation in Barcelona.
The new operation will initially focus on management liability, professional indemnity and financial institutions lines of business.
The new team will be spearheaded by executive vice president Thomas Mannsdorfer, which will partner with brokers across Continental Europe. Mannsdorfer will be joined by senior vice president Mathieu Borneuf.
Both Mannsdorfer and Borneuf will be based in Barcelona.
Mannsdorfer joined Sompo International in October 2017 from ANV where he served as a director of M&A insurance for six years and more recently also as international chief underwriting officer. He has also held various roles at HCC Global, AIG, and Allianz in Spain, France and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Borneuf joined Sompo International in January 2018 from Navigators where he served as head of management and professional liability for Continental Europe as well as Paris branch manager since 2014. Before that, he held a similar position at Torus having initially joined the carrier as head of management liability in 2010. He has also held roles at Marsh Paris, AIG Australia and AIG Europe.
Commenting on the announcement, Sompo International London Market Insurance CEO Graham Evans remarked: “We are excited to build out our underwriting capabilities in Continental Europe under Thomas and Mathieu and plan to introduce several additional professional lines products and underwriters to the new operation over the next few months.”
“The new team will work closely with our established London Market Insurance operation to offer a full suite of products to our international clients underwritten through both our company platform and Lloyd’s syndicate.”
Global Insurance CEO Jack Kuhn added: “Europe is a key area of growth for Sompo International and we continue to build a strategic presence on the continent. As we add specialty underwriting talent, we will be able to more effectively deliver a broader range of products to clients in these markets. Local presence and a distributed producer network will be critical to successful growth, especially as we plan for the post-Brexit environment.”