PIB hires JLT exec for new Leeds office

UK-based PIB Insurance Brokers (PIB) has opened a new office in Leeds as part of the company's expansion plans.

Michael Eardley, Lexcel qualified consultant, joins the Leeds branch as director, professional risks. Eardley has specialised in professional indemnity insurance and risk management for law firms since 1999. He has previously worked for Aon, Prime Professions and Willis.

Gareth Milner joins as senior account executive. He has specialised in solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance (PII) for the past 7 years and joins PIB from JLT. At PIB, Milner will continue to support firms of this size and will also grow the offering for the larger practices.

James Barker joins PIB Leeds as account executive. He has a focus on the insurance needs of law firms that goes beyond professional indemnity insurance, such as office combined, cyber liability and ATE insurance. He has specialised in solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance for the last two years.

Michael Eardley, head of PIB Leeds, said: “The work we are doing in the professional indemnity insurance arena is breaking new ground and we are attracting some of the industry’s best talent to PIB from the broader world of insurance services. This new Leeds team will continue to build on the strong work we are doing for our clients across the UK and help us scale to the next level.

Brendan McManus, chief executive officer of PIB, added: “We are very excited to announce our new office opening. PIB now has one of the largest solicitors’ PII teams in the market. Our new Leeds branch has boosted our service offering even further.”