Hamilton Insurance Group has announced several executive-level developments:

  • Peter Barrett, former chairman of Lloyd's insurance broker Bell & Clements, has been appointed to the newly-created position of global head of specialty insurance;
  • Christi Garber, former tax director of the Americas at Validus Group, has been appointed to the newly-created position of senior vice president for tax; and
  • Dermot O'Donohoe is leaving his position as chief executive officer of Hamilton at Lloyd's.

In a statement, the company said that Mr. Barrett, who will be based in London and report to Hamilton Group's chief executive officer, Pina Albo, will be responsible for overseeing the integration of the Lloyd's and non-Lloyd's operations that are being acquired by Hamilton from Liberty Mutual Group. These include Pembroke Managing Agency and Ironshore Europe DAC as well as two MGAs – one in the United States and one in Dubai.

Mr. Barrett also will be responsible for overseeing the development of a broader insurance strategy that builds on the operations associated with the pending acquisition.

He began his career in 1976 and joined Bell & Clements in 1986. He was appointed the broker's managing director in 1989 and chairman in 2004.

Mr. Barrett has served as a board member of the American Association of Managing General Agents (“AAMGA”) and participated on various National Association of Surplus Lines Offices (“NAPSLO”) committees. AAMGA and NAPLSO merged in 2017 to form the Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association (“WSIA”).

Ms. Garber will be based in New York and report to the group's chief financial officer, Jonathan Reiss. She will serve on Hamilton's finance team and will be responsible for all taxation matters including, but not limited to, developing and maintaining an overall approach for taxation efficiency and operations that support Hamilton's growth strategy. She also will be responsible for all aspects of Hamilton's global tax compliance.

Ms. Garber's 25 years of experience in the insurance and financial services sectors includes eight years as tax director and senior vice president at Sirius Group, and three years as vice president at Financial Guaranty Insurance Company.

Mr. O'Donohoe, who joined Hamilton in 2015, oversaw the April 2015 acquisition of Sportscover Managing Agency and Syndicate 3334.

The company said that, in discussions with Ms. Albo, Mr. O'Donohoe agreed to stay with the company until the definitive agreement with Liberty Mutual was signed.

“Following the announcement earlier this month of our transformative deal with Liberty Mutual, I'm delighted to welcome Peter Barrett and Christi Garber to the Hamilton team,” said Ms. Albo. “Their impressive skills and valuable experience are going to be critical as we complete our transaction and plan for the subsequent integration of the operations we're acquiring. The establishment of these two new positions are key developments in achieving our goal of establishing a leading diversified global specialty insurance and reinsurance company.

“Tempering our welcome to Peter and Christi is our regret at losing Dermot. He's been with Hamilton at Lloyd's from the beginning and has steered our agency and syndicate with a steady hand.

“We're grateful for all that he's contributed to Hamilton and wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

“It's been a great pleasure to be a part of establishing Hamilton's platform at Lloyd's,” said Mr. O'Donohoe. “While I've enjoyed my time with the company, I'm looking forward to a new challenge. I wish everyone well as they continue to build a top quartile specialty franchise at Lloyd's.”

Victoria Spears

Victoria Spears

Victoria Prussen Spears is senior vice president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Brooklyn Law School, Ms. Spears was an attorney at a leading New York City law firm before joining Meyerowitz Communications. She may be contacted at [email protected].

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