Markel taps senior underwriting talent for renewable energy build-out

Specialist insurer  Markel International, a subsidiary of  Markel Corporation, has expanded its renewable energy capabilities with two key offshore wind appointments.

Matthew Rowland (pictured left) and Clifford Blayney (pictured right) have been appointed as senior underwriters to  Markel's renewable energy team, where they will specialise in offshore wind.

The duo will add a further wealth of experience and variety of expertise to its renewable energy team, which covers the full lifecycle of both onshore and offshore renewable energy projects. Reporting to Tom Baker, head of renewable energy for Markel International, Blayney and Rowland will be based at  Markel’s London office.

Rowland has 15 years of offshore wind experience, including underwriting, broking, and more recently as a lead risk and insurance specialist at offshore wind developer Ørsted. Previously, he worked at the THB Group, Munich Re's HSB and GCube Insurance Services, among others.

Meanwhile, Blayney joins Rowland from  Markel’s upstream energy team and brings over 10 years of upstream energy experience to his new role. Blayney started at  Markel International eight years ago, where his most recent position was senior underwriter for upstream and midstream energy.

Baker commented: “Our global renewable energy team has achieved significant growth over the past two years, but these latest appointments, which combine specific offshore wind experience with traditional oil and gas experience, are a fantastic win for us.”

He added: “With Matt and Cliff’s diverse experience and expertise, we have everything we need to continue growing our footprint and to become a leading insurer in the global offshore wind market.”

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