Novae hires Aspen casualty head

Specialist Lloyd’s insurer Novae Group has appointed Robert Patten as head of its casualty division and a member of the executive committee.

Patten joins from Aspen Insurance where he was head of international property and casualty. He was responsible for managing the excess casualty division and for overseeing Aspen’s UK corporate and regional property and commercial business underwritten via Aspen UK Risk Management.

Throughout his seven year tenure he established Aspen’s excess casualty operation in Dublin and Bermuda, oversaw the formation of Aspen’s Swiss office and became a member of the insurance executive committee in 2010.

Prior to joining Aspen, he was chief underwriting manager for XL Europe and has also held roles with Starr Excess, Ace Bermuda and CE Heath.

Jonathan Butcher, group underwriting director, said: “We continue to build a top quality underwriting team and Bob is a fantastic example of the talent we are attracting. He is one of the leading casualty underwriters in the market and we all look forward to working with him.”

Patten added: “Novae’s casualty division is ambitious and at the forefront of innovation. I am looking forward to working with the team to develop and grow the division.”