The Role
Build and lead Convex US Inland Marine underwriting division: develop products, pricing and capacity mix; recruit and manage underwriting team; drive distribution, underwriting profit, P&L and reinsurance strategy.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Head of Inland Marine for Convex U.S. is a newly created, highly visible executive position reporting directly to Dan Kumpf, Chief Executive Officer. The successful candidate will build, launch, and lead the Inland Marine Underwriting Division from the ground up, shaping the company’s specialty lines strategy in the United States.
The division will focus on U.S. specialized property and transit risks, targeting business lines that typically do not flow directly to the London market. Convex US interest include
- Construction Risks: Builders Risk, installation floaters, and heavy contractors’ equipment.
- Logistics & Transit: Motor truck cargo, transportation floaters, and warehouse legal liability.
- Specialty Property: Fine arts, musical instruments, medical equipment, and miscellaneous floater policies.
The candidate will be charged with growing the portfolio on a profitable basis, as well as building and leading a team of best in class industry professionals. This position will have significant visibility and will serve as a key strategic driver for the organization’s future in the U.S., both in terms of the growth of the business and as an ambassador for the company’s remarkable culture. While the primary offices are in Princeton, NJ, the location for this role is flexible
Key Responsibilities
Leadership:
- The role will be responsible for directly recruiting, leading, coaching and developing the Convex U.S. Underwriting team.
- This position will work in close collaboration with Convex U.K and other capacity providers. Underwriters and Underwriting leadership in developing an aligned business plan and Underwriting appetite.
- The successful Candidate must be comfortable leading a start-up with the ability to attract top-tier Underwriting talent.
- This role will promote a working environment that fosters teamwork, innovation, and cooperation that operates well within Convex Group’s unique, values driven culture.
Build:
- The role will be responsible for successfully building the Convex US Inland Marine platform.
- Develop Underwriting strategies and actions needed for a start-up including product development, pricing, and competitive analysis.
- Align and set up the optimal capacity mix including that of Convex UK for the product’s long term growth.
- Underwrite, maintain, and grow the portfolio in accordance with the Inland Marine business plan, strategy, authority levels and regulatory environment.
Distribution:
- The role will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with Wholesale / Retail production sources to facilitate business growth and create relevance among key trading partners.
- Market and promote brand awareness across all lines of business.
P&L Management:
- The role will be responsible for leading teams and collaborating with leadership to deliver the agreed top-and-bottom-line annual business plan with a target of delivering consistent underwriting profit that meets or exceeds agreed targets.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- A Bachelor’s degree level education and/or CPCU designation
- Minimum 15+ years’ in Underwriting and managing Inland Marine lines
- Entrepreneurial and willingness to build a business from scratch whereby you will actively underwrite and manage.
- Proven ability to develop a 5-year product plan and go-to-market strategy to get in business quickly.
- Capable of being hands on with forms development and providing input for rating models
- Proven expansive ability to handle complex and multi-dimensional problems, and to apply logic, analysis, and sound reasoning to solve those problems.
- Ability to translate broad strategic direction into actionable operational plans supported by specific goals, tactics, timelines and budgets
- Demonstrated ability to generate profitable new business and a proven record of delivering meaningful underwriting profit
- Demonstrated ability in leading, inspiring and influencing high performing Underwriting teams
- Strong producer following in Wholesale/Retail distribution channels
- Experience with buying reinsurance and established relationships with capacity providers
- Proficient at applying data analytics to drive Underwriting strategy and actions
- Proven ability to drive performance by building an understanding of key drivers, through the establishment of targets and metrics, setting clear accountabilities and aligning rewards with performance
- Ability to foster an environment of diversity, equity and inclusion. The belief that different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences are key for success
- Ability to think beyond your individual P&L and to assist across LoBs for our mutual success in building a leading specialty MGU.
Core Competencies:
Results Driven - Rigorously holds oneself and others accountable for achieving high levels of individual and organizational performance.
Results Driven - Rigorously holds oneself and others accountable for achieving high levels of individual and organizational performance.
Developing and Leveraging Relationships: Creating and cultivating internal and external networks of people who contribute to your success.
Change Enablement: Quickly absorbing new information and changing dynamics.
Impression and Communication: Highly articulate and able to convey important messages in a clear and compelling manner. A strong, positive, and remarkable personal presence resulting from one’s bearing, style, words or behavior.
Empathy: Understanding and accurately assessing the reactions of others and incorporating those into actions and presentation.
Integrity: Doing the right thing by others, having the courage of own convictions, and adhering to strongly held principles and values.
Entrepreneurial Drive: Quick to seize and capitalize on trends and opportunities.
About
In 2019, Stephen Catlin and Paul Brand co-founded Convex with $1.7bn of initial committed capital to underwrite insurance and reinsurance for complex specialty risks. The company has since received an A.M. Best rating of A (Excellent) and regulatory approval to operate in London, Bermuda, Luxembourg and United States.We have also welcomed leaders in their fields from across the insurance industry, bringing a diversity of thought and approach.We live our values in every facet of our business:Earn our reputationEverything we do affects how others see us. Our success depends upon our reputation, for which all of us share responsibility.Straightforward and fairWe tell it like it is, with fairness, dignity and respect. We strive to do the right thing always, however hard it seems.Determined to improveHowever good we are, we are not complacent. We know we can always be better and we never stop trying to improve.Inspired by opportunityWe come to the market and to every client engagement without baggage. There is no limit to what we can achieve together.Enjoy being differentWe feel positive about change and we are not afraid to try new things in our quest for a better way for clients, stakeholders and colleagues to do business.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree level education and/or CPCU designation
- Minimum 15+ years in Underwriting and managing Inland Marine lines
- Entrepreneurial willingness to build a business from scratch and actively underwrite and manage
- Proven ability to develop a 5-year product plan and go-to-market strategy
- Hands-on experience with forms development and providing input for rating models
- Proven ability to handle complex, multi-dimensional problems with sound analysis and reasoning
- Ability to translate broad strategic direction into actionable operational plans with goals, timelines and budgets
- Demonstrated ability to generate profitable new business and deliver underwriting profit
- Proven experience leading, inspiring and influencing high-performing underwriting teams
- Strong producer following in Wholesale/Retail distribution channels
- Experience buying reinsurance and established relationships with capacity providers
- Proficiency applying data analytics to drive underwriting strategy and actions
- Ability to drive performance through targets, metrics, accountabilities and aligned rewards
- Ability to foster diversity, equity and inclusion
- Willingness to collaborate across lines of business beyond individual P&L
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