Brokers placing commercial property and strata risks in Australia and New Zealand have a new senior figure sitting behind their carriers' reinsurance programmes. The reinsurance broking arm of Marsh has announced that Justin Ward (pictured) has been appointed CEO of Pacific, effective immediately, taking responsibility for the broker's placement business across the region.
Ward reports to Tony Gallagher, CEO of Guy Carpenter Asia Pacific. He will lead and manage the broker's broking organisation in the Pacific region, further develop business strategy for clients across the region and work closely with James Sullivan, head of broking, Guy Carpenter Pacific.
For brokers, the appointment lands mid-cycle in a market that has moved decisively in favour of buyers. Loss-free reinsurance business in Australia and New Zealand saw risk-adjusted rate reductions of between 10% and 15% at the July 2026 renewals, according to reinsurance broker Howden Re, driven by abundant global capacity and a sustained run of reinsurer profitability. Because reinsurance costs set the floor beneath what local carriers can offer on commercial property and strata risks, who is negotiating those placements matters to the pricing intermediaries take to clients.
Ward joined Guy Carpenter in 2018 and has held senior broking positions in both Sydney and Singapore. He has served as Capital Advisory Leader for Asia Pacific since 2024, a role focused on how insurers structure and raise capital – including through insurance-linked securities and catastrophe bonds, instruments Ward has publicly identified as an area of growing appetite among Asia-Pacific insurers seeking to diversify catastrophe exposure.
Before joining Guy Carpenter, Ward worked at Insurance Australia Group (IAG), National Australia Bank (NAB) and AMP in senior reinsurance, financial planning and risk advisory roles.
"The Pacific region is a dynamic and increasingly important part of the global reinsurance landscape; Guy Carpenter is well positioned to help clients in Australia, New Zealand and across Pacific respond with insight and discipline, enabling them to make more informed decisions and build long-term resilience," said Ward. "I'm pleased to lead Guy Carpenter at such an important time and drive the next phase of growth in the region."
Ward will relocate to Sydney from Singapore in July 2027 and will continue as capital advisory leader for Asia Pacific until then, retaining the regional capital mandate alongside the Pacific broking leadership through the transition.
Marsh separately announced the appointment of James Beedle to Guy Carpenter Pacific's board of directors, subject to regulatory approval. Beedle brings more than 36 years of reinsurance experience as both broker and underwriter, across London, Sydney, Tokyo and Singapore.
Beedle led PartnerRe's Asia-Pacific business as chief executive from January 2017. PartnerRe announced in April 2026 that he would retire, with three senior executives moving into expanded APAC roles from 1 July 2026, as covered in our reporting on the PartnerRe Asia-Pacific leadership reshuffle. He also took the chair of the Singapore Reinsurers' Association earlier in 2026.
"With our strengthened management team, led by Justin in Pacific, and the addition of James to our board of directors, Guy Carpenter is well placed to help clients across Asia Pacific navigate a market shaped by elevated catastrophe risk, evolving regulation, and growing demand for tailored analytics and advisory support," said Gallagher.
The announcement does not name an outgoing Pacific chief executive. Benjamin (Ben) Savill has held the CEO Pacific role since April 2024 and is leaving to become chief executive of Swiss Re's Australia and New Zealand operation from October 1 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, as reported in our coverage of Ben Savill's move to lead Swiss Re in Australia and New Zealand. Guy Carpenter has not stated publicly whether Ward is Savill's direct successor.
