Marsh has appointed James Lean (pictured) to lead its UK transportation and logistics industry practice, bringing a 20-year Barclays Corporate Banking veteran into a risk and insurance role as the sector faces supply chain disruption, cost pressures and growing demands for operational resilience.
Marsh has named Lean as UK transportation and logistics industry leader for Marsh Risk. Lean is based in London and reports to Charles Beresford-Davies, Marsh's UK industries leader.
In the newly created position, Lean will draw on Marsh's broader risk, data and advisory capabilities to build sector strategy for UK transport and logistics clients, according to the firm.
Lean spent two decades in financial services at Barclays Corporate Banking, most recently co-leading the bank's UK manufacturing, transport and logistics team since 2020. In that role, he advised senior leaders across manufacturing, logistics and supply chain businesses on transformation, growth and risk management, Marsh said.
Beresford-Davies said Lean joins "at a critical moment when transportation and logistics businesses are navigating supply chain complexity, regulatory change, and evolving operational risks."
Lean said he was looking to "help them navigate these challenges, seize opportunities for growth, and make more confident decisions about risk."
The appointment comes as UK logistics operators face a familiar squeeze: high fixed costs against wafer-thin margins. The sector operates on margins of just one to three per cent, according to Logistics UK's 2025 report, which makes any cost increase damaging to businesses already absorbing higher operating costs. The same report puts the industry's contribution to the UK economy at £170 billion in gross value added, supporting 2.7 million jobs.
A global study by Lloyd's and WTW found that more than 90% of transport and logistics companies surveyed viewed supply chain insurance as critical, while 77% said lack of access to supply chain insurance solutions and a lack of data to understand those risks were among their biggest challenges.
Against that backdrop, brokers have been building out dedicated transport expertise. Marsh Risk named James Crask as its global supply chain practice leader earlier this year, while Lean's appointment follows a broader leadership reshuffle at the firm that included naming James Addington-Smith as CEO of Marsh UK.
Marsh's UK haulage and logistics offering already spans cargo, fleet and third-party network cover for operators across the supply chain.
