Markel Insurance announced that it has appointed James Howell (pictured above) as senior war and terrorism underwriter, effective immediately.
Howell will be based in London and report to Chloe Gordge, head of terrorism – London at Markel International.
Howell will be responsible for maintaining and developing underwriting policies and broker relationships. The company said he will work with its management, claims, actuarial and product development teams as part of the war and terrorism portfolio.
Howell’s hire extends a run of staffing moves around Markel’s war and terrorism operation in London this year, including the appointment of Clarice Francis as operations manager for its international war and terrorism division.
Markel previously said the operations role supports coordination across functions including “management, claims, actuarial and product development,” which aligns with the cross-team structure described in Howell’s remit.
Read more: Markel appoints new operations manager
“We’re thrilled to welcome James to our war and terrorism team in London,” Gordge said, adding that the hire comes as “rising geopolitical tensions are driving increasingly complex threats and client demand.”
The appointment also comes as insureds in some sectors adjust to the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as “Martyn’s Law,” which came into force in April. Markel’s war and terrorism division has pointed to rising interest in terrorism and political violence protection as organisations respond to the changing regulatory and operating environment.
The company also said Howell will mentor underwriters and lead war and terrorism product line training. Markel said the aim is to support underwriting standards and consistency across the team.
Howell joins from AXIS Capital, where Markel said he spent nearly a decade and served as senior underwriter for terrorism and political violence. Before AXIS, Markel said Howell worked at Argenta Group for two years as an exposure analyst within terrorism and cargo and specie sub-teams, and began his career in the Lloyd’s market.
