Pioneer appoints Andrew McMellin as CEO, Dane Douetil becomes Chairman
Pioneer Underwriters (“Pioneer”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew McMellin as chief executive officer, effective 8th October 2018 and pending regulatory approval.
Dane Douetil, CEO of Pioneer’s parent company, Minova Insurance Holdings Ltd., and currently CEO at Pioneer, will become chairman of the business. Max Taylor, who has been chairman of Pioneer since 2013, will retire following a transition period, during which he will retain a consultative role.
McMellin joins following a long career at XL Catlin, which he joined in 1999. He served most recently as CEO of UK & Ireland Insurance and was a longstanding member of the insurance leadership team and the Catlin Group Executive Committee. Previous roles have included CEO of Catlin US, CEO of Catlin UK, deputy group chief underwriting officer, casualty product group leader and casualty class underwriter. He began his career in insurance as a broker at Willis in 1987.
Dane Douetil said: “Pioneer has grown significantly since formation, launching a Lloyd’s syndicate at the beginning of the year and expanding both in scale and in the scope of its underwriting. Max has been absolutely key in guiding the development of the business, and his industry expertise has been invaluable. The board and I thank him for his significant contribution.
Appointing Andrew as CEO is a statement of intent, his considerable experience and proven leadership ability will be important as Pioneer continues to grow and develop its unique business proposition. His track record in delivering world-class underwriting results will further strengthen what is an already outstanding team, and I am very pleased to welcome him to Pioneer.”
Andrew McMellin said: “Pioneer already has an outstanding reputation, with market-leading specialists, an innovative product offering and long-term, strategic capital backing. I look forward to leading Pioneer on the path of smart, results-driven profitable growth.”
Max Taylor said “It has been a privilege to be part of the Pioneer story for six years. As we welcome our new CEO and embark on the next phase of our journey I feel that this is a good time to step down. I wish my colleagues every success.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Haggie Partners
Peter Rigby
Tel: + 44 20 7562 4444
Becky Young
Tel: + 44 20 7562 4444
Notes for Editors
About Pioneer
Pioneer Underwriters, the underwriting group within Minova Insurance Holdings Ltd, operates Pioneer Syndicate 1980, which launched on 1 January 2018 with gross premium income of £238m underwriting a broad cross-section of business including Property, Casualty, Marine and Energy. As a Group, Pioneer manages in excess of £350m of premium through 23 underwriting teams across Property, Marine and Casualty classes. Pioneer underwrites via over 25 facilities operating through Lloyd’s and Non-Lloyd’s platforms. Pioneer has delegated authority arrangements with 29 markets, TOBA’s with 130 London and overseas brokers and nationwide distribution capability across the US.
For more information, visit: http://www.pioneeruw.com/