The latest update from Ardonagh for you;
The Ardonagh Group announces it will adopt the Orvia Underwriting brand across its suite of leading Managing General Agent (MGA) businesses alongside a series of senior appointments to lead the acceleration of MGA growth globally.
Orvia will bring together more than $3 billion in Gross Written Premium around the world, drawing on the strength of Ardonagh’s network, specialist talent and trusted insurer partnerships to deliver expanded and cohesive underwriting solutions across the leading independent insurance distribution platform’s chosen markets.
The first stage of the evolution will see the Group’s pan-European, UK and Specialty MGAs come together under the Orvia brand and leadership of Mark McIlquham as CEO.
McIlquham joins from Acrisure where he led the firm’s entry into the UK retail market, building out a platform spanning retail broking, MGAs and intermediary network operations.
He will work alongside Ardonagh Operating Partner Chris Lay, who joined in April this year to work on group strategy and support the next phase of growth.
The move builds on the successful European launch of Orvia in January this year, led by Conor Geraghty who becomes CEO Orvia Europe and Specialty.
Following a transition period in 2027, UK-based Geo Underwriting will become Orvia UK, offering direct access to niche insurance products across Agriculture, Construction and Renovation, Lifestyle and Leisure, Marine, Protection, and Specialist Commercial.
Orvia will then extend across the Group’s underwriting portfolio globally.
Envest Agencies, the parent holding company of 14 specialist intermediated and direct MGAs, will rebrand as Orvia Australia and New Zealand, led by newly appointed CEO Belinda Steedman reporting into a local Agency Board and working as part of the Envest Group senior team led by CEO Greg Mullins.
Dubai-based Antarah, an authorised Lloyd’s of London Coverholder, MGA and reinsurance intermediary with a focus on the Middle East and African territories led by CEO Antonio El Hokayem, will transition to Orvia Middle East and Africa.
Commenting on the news, Group Chief Executive David Ross said:
“This is a significant moment for us at Ardonagh as we begin to pivot from a regional operating model to a global product led operating one, helping clients and markets understand our true reach and enabling us to drive better outcomes for our customers.
“Revealing the scale of our MGA operations worldwide will be the first of a series of changes we will be making as we lean into a different marketplace, one where we can bring our data and placement power into full view of the industry.
“When we launched Ardonagh in 2017, our early investment into data, AI and placement capability was all done to enable us to one day bring our whole distribution portfolio into a single point of view and to give our group the edge it needs to compete in today’s market.”
Chris Lay said: “Ardonagh has a rich history of underwriting expertise and analytics capability. As one of a few independent players in the global market, we can use this to deliver insights into the current risk landscape and work with our capacity providers to deliver enhanced value for our clients.”
Mark McIlquham said: “Knowing the team well and having watched the business grow and mature over the last 10 years, joining Ardonagh as it launches the next chapter of Orvia seemed like the most natural thing in the world. With over 95 acquisitions completed last year and transformational talent joining every week across the Group, there are many untapped opportunities to bring new and existing MGA propositions to our chosen markets.”
Appointments subject to relevant regulatory approvals.
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