Talbot Expands Australian Presence with the Appointment of a New Financial Lines Team

Talbot Underwriting Ltd. (“Talbot”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Validus Holdings, Ltd. (“Validus”), is pleased to announce the appointment of David McKenzie and David Jones as class underwriters of Talbot’s financial lines team. These hires will establish a local presence for Talbot’s financial lines business in Australia and drive growth in the region.

“We are thrilled to welcome David McKenzie and David Jones to the Talbot team here in Australia,” said Adam Matteson, Managing Director at Talbot Australia. “Having worked in Brisbane, Sydney and London, Talbot’s new recruits have a proven track record of developing unique solutions for the Australian financial institutions market. I look forward to the opportunities they will bring to our organization.”

David McKenzie brings more than 25 years of experience in insurance, alternative insurance products and financial markets to Talbot. He most recently served as State Manager of Queensland for Axis Specialty Australia. David’s background includes prior roles with Aon and Willis, and the founding and management of a proprietary trading firm that invested in varied financial products.

David Jones has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance and banking markets and most recently served as State Manager of Victoria at Axis Specialty Australia. David has also worked in financial institutions, most recently at Chubb Insurance, and previously held roles across alternative products in financial markets and group treasury at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

James Skinner, Active Underwriter at Talbot, said: “As Talbot expands its platform in Australia, it is imperative that we bring in talented individuals with deep expertise in Australia’s financial institutions sector. I am confident that their experience and knowledge of the market will be invaluable as we continue to support our clients and grow our footprint in the region.”

About Talbot Underwriting Ltd.

Talbot Underwriting Ltd. operates within the Lloyd’s insurance market through Syndicate 1183. Syndicate 1183 focuses on underwriting a number of specialty risks including marine, aviation, transport, energy, terrorism, political risk, accident and health, construction, contingency, financial institutions, property and treaty reinsurance. Syndicate 1183 has capacity of £600 million for the 2016 underwriting year of account.

About Validus Holdings, Ltd.

Validus Holdings, Ltd. is a holding company for reinsurance and insurance operating companies and investment advisors including Validus Reinsurance, Ltd. (“Validus Re”), Talbot Holdings Ltd. (“Talbot”), Western World Insurance Group, Inc. (“Western World”) and AlphaCat Managers, Ltd. (“AlphaCat”).

Validus Re is a Bermuda based reinsurer focused on short tail lines of reinsurance. Talbot is the Bermuda parent of the specialty insurance group primarily operating within the Lloyd's insurance market through Syndicate 1183. Western World is a U.S. specialty lines insurance company focused on excess and surplus lines. AlphaCat is a Bermuda based investment adviser managing capital for third parties and the Group in insurance linked securities and other property catastrophe reinsurance investments.

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