Sompo Canopius is expanding its North American operations with a new US ocean marine unit to be headed by a regional executive from XL Catlin.
 
The Lloyd’s insurer recently launched its latest business division and appointed John Ellis as head of US ocean marine.
 
Ellis will lead the development and strategy of the business and build its team. He will be based in New York and will report to Mike Southgate, global head of marine, energy and engineering.
 
Apart from Ellis, Sompo Canopius has also hired Angela Nolan as underwriting assistant vice president.
 
Southgate said the latest appointments signal Sompo Canopius’s ambition to build a leading US marine practice, which will complement its marine account written in London. 
 
“It has become increasingly clear that to be competitive in this market, we need a presence in New York, closer to the business and our clients,” he said.
 
“We are excited to launch our US Ocean Marine business and it demonstrates the strength of Sompo Canopius that John, who has a great track record and reputation in the market, has decided to lead the operation,” Southgate added.
 
Ellis joins from XL Catlin, where he served as regional vice president for over three years.
 
He was also a regional president at International Marine Underwriters for nearly a decade and product line manager, hull and liabilities at RSA for more than seven years.
 
 
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