Ace appoints middle market financial lines leader

Ace has appointed Fabien Vaillant as its new middle market financial lines leader and EASY ACE manager for Continental Europe.

He will continue to be based in Paris and will report to Grant Cairns, financial lines manager for Ace in Continental Europe and Steve Reiss, chief operating officer for Ace in Continental Europe.

Vaillant will be responsible for the profitable growth of ACE’s middle market portfolio in Continental Europe, with an emphasis on product development, underwriting efficiency and further improving customer experience as well as managing product distribution. Initially, he will focus on the development of new private D&O and commercial professional indemnity propositions.

The appointment follows the recent launch of Ace middle market solutions, an enhanced proposition for brokers and clients in Continental Europe.

EASYACE is ACE’s insurance offering that provides service to brokers and their small and medium-sized commercial clients in France and Spain. In his new role as EASYACE manager, he will be responsible for rolling out the EASYACE proposition in other core European markets and further developing ACE’s e-commerce capabilities.

Vaillant joined Ace as a middle market D&O underwriter in 2003. More recently he held the position of financial lines manager for Ace in France where he developed a broad middle market portfolio with a focus on private D&O and commercial PI.

Cairns said: “Fabien’s appointment indicates the strong emphasis Ace places in providing the right insurance cover for middle market and small companies - the backbone of European economy. Research, including Ace’s own, shows that financial lines cover is becoming increasingly important for companies of this size. Fabien’s great experience will help us respond to this real market need with relevant, comprehensive insurance solutions for our brokers and clients.”

Steve Reiss, chief operating officer for Ace in Continental Europe, said: "SMEs play a crucial role in economic activity and job creation across Europe. However, their size means that they can be more vulnerable to external threats and risks. With EASYACE, we provide smaller businesses with the insurance cover they need in order to effectively face those challenges and grow, while providing an easy-to-use platform to improve the brokers’ experience.”