Pen Underwriting bolsters solicitors’ PI practice with new head

London firm Pen Underwriting, a subsidiary of insurance broker Arthur J Gallagher, has appointed Paul Crilly as the head of solicitors’ professional indemnity (PI).

Reporting to the managing director of financial lines Jennifer Martin, Crilly will be responsible for leading Pen’s team of technical solicitors’ PI underwriters, and developing the class to enhance its broker offering.

Crilly joins Pen with over 25 years of industry experience, having most recently served Howden UK’s professions and general liability business as head of solicitors at the acquired RK Harrison since 2012.

Prior to that, he was an executive director of professional indemnity at Prime Professions and held a similar role at Alexander Forbes.

“Paul’s strong market relationships and breadth of experience, both here in the UK and overseas, will be a fantastic complement to our depth of technical underwriting expertise as we look to broaden our solicitor capabilities in terms of product, distribution and geography,” said Martin.

“His entrepreneurial attitude, fantastic leadership track record and experience in understanding the sometimes-competing priorities of broker, coverholder, underwriter and capacity provider, make him the ideal candidate to lead this core specialism and ensure we continue to innovate and offer something different — like our two-year policies for solicitors backed by A-rated capacity.”

Crilly added: “This is a genuinely exciting time to be joining Pen Underwriting with the Solicitors’ PI team having had an exceptionally strong year, winning and retaining clients to successfully grow the book in what is always a challenging, competitive market.

“With such strong foundations, the scale and potential to take this business to the next level presented an opportunity I couldn’t resist and I’m delighted to become part of the team.”