LMA Management Changes

I have been considering for some time the management structure of the LMA and in particular whether we are organised in the most effective way to support the increasing demands of our membership and our Board.

I have discussed the position with each member of the LMA’s Executive Committee and considered carefully their ideas. Following these discussions I have decided that it would be beneficial to our effectiveness to add further resources in two areas which are very important to LMA whilst continuing to fulfill other new commitments, notably Project Darwin and the Claims Transformation Programme.

Firstly, to our underwriting team where I believe it would be more effective to recreate a unified underwriting and claims function under the leadership of Tim Willcock. Tim has done a first class job building a strong and highly respected claims team in LMA having previously been Head of both Underwriting and Claims until the teams were split in 2009.  This split enabled LMA to build up a distinct claims function which now participates fully in the Claims Transformation Programme, and we now have a Claims Committee fully engaged in all market level claims issues. 

Now is the right time to re-integrate these two functions.  Neil Smith will continue as Head of Underwriting, and in due course a new Head of Claims will be appointed. Tim will become Director, Underwriting & Claims. He will work with Neil and Mel Goddard, who as Director of Market Liaison, will continue to be our principal point of contact with the Corporation and market on underwriting and market development, including international matters. In addition, Kieran Flynn will be joining LMA on 3 September for two days a week as a project adviser reporting to Tim to assist both the underwriting team, and other teams as required, in areas which are relevant to our underwriting activities.

I also believe it is important to add further resource to our professional standards area. Gill Nichols will be joining LMA as a Technical Executive reporting to Ben Baker on 3 September. Ben will become Head of Professional Standards and, from that date, he will report to Charlotte Myers who has run the Lloyd’s Agency Training Group for over eight years and who has extensive experience of, and contacts in, the market’s training arena.  Charlotte will help Ben to plan and execute a professional standards agenda which integrates with our other core activities for the benefit of the whole market.  Charlotte will continue with her other current responsibilities (across HR, communications, IT, management accounts and facilities) and will become Chief Operating Officer.

In addition to the above, Kees van der Klugt will take on responsibility for LMA’s company secretarial function in addition to his current role, and will become Company Secretary and Director of Legal & Compliance.  Rob Gillies has taken on responsibility for London market liaison for Project Darwin on behalf of the Darwin Steering Group in addition to his current responsibilities, and will become Director of Market Processes. Pat Hakong will relinquish her company secretarial responsibilities in order to allow her to focus exclusively on financial reporting matters including IFRS, as well as Solvency II and LMA’s financial accounts, and will become Director, Finance & Risk.

David Gittings
Chief Executive