Castel appoints new independent Non-Executive Chairman
London, 2nd July 2018: Castel Underwriting Agencies Limited (Castel), the club-style MGA formation platform, has appointed Bob Cowdell as its first independent Non-Executive Chairman.
Cowdell is currently a Non-Executive Director (NED) at Castel, having joined the firm earlier this year. He holds a number of other NED roles, which have previously included roles at XL Catlin and he is also a former Managing Director and Head of Financials at RBS Hoare Govett.
The move is a further strengthening of the Castel board and governance, as it looks to expand both in the UK and European markets.
Last month, Castel opened its first European branch office in Amsterdam, with the aim of targeting European opportunities post-Brexit. The office will provide a platform to develop and launch specialty underwriting cells in Europe.
Cowdell assumes the role from Jon Godfray who has served as Chairman since Castel’s formation in 2013.
Castel’s CEO, Mark Birrell said: “Since joining Castel, Bob’s experience in driving successful growth has been very evident. His leadership in this arena comes at a crucial time as we start to expand our footprint in Europe. I would like to thank Jon Godfray for his outstanding contribution to Castel. The business has grown significantly under his chairmanship, despite the challenges of prevailing markets.”
Bob Cowdell added: “Castel provides an environment for talented, entrepreneurial underwriters in specialty markets to build their own businesses. The model is successful, and I look forward to the challenge of chairing the board and sharing my experience as we continue to build on our UK success and develop internationally.”