Markel builds local Casualty and Professional and Financial Risk teams with senior hires in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Markel, the insurance operation within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), announced the expansion of the leadership team in Australia, with appointments of Ahmed Farag as Head of Casualty and Kym Beazleigh as Head of Professional and Financial Risk (PFR) and Head of Sydney.

Farag joins Markel from Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, where he led a highly-regarded team of underwriters as Casualty Portfolio Leader for Australia and New Zealand. Based in Melbourne, Farag has a strong reputation in the Casualty market as a dynamic leader, with technical and strategic experience across a diverse range of industries.

Beazleigh joins Markel from Allied World, where he was Senior Vice President and Underwriting Head, Asia Pacific Professional Lines Division. In his new role as Head of PFR and Head of Sydney, Beazleigh brings exceptional leadership experience in professional lines and a proven track record driving regional business growth.

Markel has also appointed Arné Booysen as Senior Underwriter, Professional Indemnity. Booysen will report to Kym Beazleigh and joins Markel from Allied World, where he served as Assistant Vice President and Underwriting Manager, Australian Professional Lines Division. The commencement of Beazleigh and Booysen marks the opening of Markel's Sydney office.

Markel is continuing its expansion in Australia with a proven strategy in international markets: establishing a strong onshore presence with a highly experienced and empowered underwriting team. The offering will initially include Casualty, Professional Indemnity and Directors & Officers products, with other lines to follow as the organisation continues to build its local presence.

Rory Morison, Managing Director, Australia at Markel, said, "The appointment of Ahmed and Kym to lead our Casualty and PFR practices is a clear and exciting signal to the Australian market that Markel intends to build a leading position over the long term. Opening the Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney offices concurrently was a deliberate move to ensure our people are as close as possible to policyholders, and their brokers.

"We will continue to thoughtfully and confidently grow our underwriting and claims teams, adding value for our partners and customers well into the future. We're pleased to bring Markel's compelling Financial lines and Casualty products to Australian brokers, many of whom are eager to work with a specialty insurer that empowers its underwriters to make decisions onshore, in real time, based on the latest market developments."

About Markel
We are Markel, a leading global specialty insurer with a truly people-first approach. As the insurance operations within Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL), we operate the Markel Specialty, Markel International, and Markel Global Reinsurance divisions, as well as State National, our portfolio protection and program services operations, and Nephila, our insurance-linked securities operations. Our broad array of capabilities and expertise allow us to create intelligent solutions for the most complex risk management needs. However, it is our people – and the deep, valued relationships they develop with colleagues, brokers and clients – that differentiates us worldwide.

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