Ecclesiastical hires heritage and church claims director

Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical has appointed Andrew Brown into a newly created role of church and heritage claims director.

Ecclesiastical said the move was driven by the its aim to make best use of specialist market sector knowledge within the business for the benefit of its customers.

Based in Ecclesiastical’s Gloucester headquarters, Brown will report to David Bonehill, claims director.

Most recently Ecclesiastical’s technical claims manager for 16 years, Brown’s new role will see him take responsibility for further developing the company’s expertise in church and heritage claims.

Bonehill said: “As a trusted specialist insurer whose teams are required to handle a range of important heritage and church buildings, it’s vital that we continue to build real expertise from the experience and learning we’ve amassed over time.

“Andrew has successfully handled some of the most challenging claims we’ve dealt with in recent years and ensures that we provide expert support and advice to our customers at a time when they are most in need. In this new role, he’ll continue to play a very active part in our claims management, but has the additional responsibility for working with our specialist teams to embed the knowledge he has amassed during his career and ensure robust succession plans are in place.”

Brown added: “Specialist claims knowledge isn’t something that just percolates through a business on its own; it needs a deliberate push on the insurer’s part to ensure that claims teams are up to speed with the very latest developments and techniques.

“For example, major heritage properties don’t burn down every day so it’s important that we take the knowledge we’ve gained from these unfortunate occasions and disseminate it actively throughout our teams. It’s this type of process that will ensure Ecclesiastical continues to evolve as a true specialist in our niche markets.”