Global Aerospace execs form new MGA venture
Altitude Risk Partners, an underwriting cell backed by capacity from Barbican Insurance Group, HDI-Gerling Industrie Versicherung and Sompo Japan Insurance on a quota share basis, has revealed plans to underwrite a worldwide portfolio of airlines, manufacturing products, general aviation, war and space risks.
Altitude has also become the first underwriting cell to utilise the Castel Underwriting Agencies (Castel) club-style MGA platform, which was formed to support the ambitions of innovative individuals or teams of underwriters in the London and wider insurance markets with niche and specialist books of business.
Altitude’s founding underwriters are David Godley, formerly senior underwriter, airlines and general aviation at Global Aerospace, and Richard Power, formerly senior airline class underwriter at Catlin.
They will be joined by Tim Wright, formerly group space underwriter at Global Aerospace. David, Richard and Tim between them have decades of experience in the aerospace insurance market. All three will be partners in the new venture alongside Castel itself. Further staff announcements will follow in due course.
Godley said: “The global aerospace insurance market relies on experienced underwriters, stable high quality capacity and efficient infrastructure to underwrite the complex risks presented. By launching Altitude Risk Partners on the Castel MGA platform we were able to bring all of these elements together without having to build our infrastructure from scratch. This will enable Altitude Risk Partners to provide added value to all our stakeholders.”
Mark Birrell, chief executive officer of Castel, said: “Creating an underwriting business can be a daunting and lengthy process. By utilising Castel, Altitude Risk Partners has been launched quickly with the support of secure and highly-rated capital on a platform designed to deliver operational efficiency and sound regulatory practices. We very much look forward to working with David, Richard and Tim and expect Altitude Risk Partners to be joined within Castel by other entrepreneurial underwriting businesses during 2014.”
