Headquarters:

34 Lime Street, London EC3M 7AT

Year founded:

2018

Number of employees:

Phone:

0333 358 0006

Email:

reception@renovationunderwriting.com

Website:

renovationunderwriting.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/company/renovation-underwriting

“Having four insurance designations, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with it, enables me to better counsel customers regarding the importance of having the appropriate insurance coverage”

Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting

Douglas Brown

Managing Director

James Guthrie

Head of Distribution

Wayne Knibbs

Head of Distribution – Private Clients

Leadership

Douglas Brown has been involved in property and works insurance for 30 years and is acknowledged as a key leader within the contract works specialism. He retains an endless enthusiasm for his subject, and his strong commitment to this sector marks him out as a thought leader for both insurers and brokers alike. Having been involved at a senior level in a number of broking firms, Brown completed a buyout in 2010 to establish Porterhouse Brokers, from which Renovation Underwriting was founded in 2018.

Managing Director

Douglas Brown

James Guthrie is a broker distribution specialist with over 35 years of experience in the UK general insurance market, the last 20 of which have been focused on high net worth and mid-market commercial. Latterly head of HNW Distribution at Covéa, Guthrie’s career began at Holman’s for Lloyd’s before moving to specialist Miles Smith and subsequently joining the start-up team at Oak Underwriting. With over 20 years of experience within the private client marketplace, he is very well known in the HNW broking community. He is responsible for leading RU’s entire broker distribution channel and became the overall head of distribution in April 2024.

Head of Distribution

James Guthrie

Wayne Knibbs is well known in the high-net-worth insurance community and brings over 25 years of insurance industry experience to the private client distribution role. He has spent nearly half of his career focusing on the high-net-worth sector specifically, including roles at Aviva, Azur and AIG. Knibbs joined RU in April 2024 to enable RU to further expand its distribution activity in the private client market. He is focused on driving the business’s continuing growth across the high-net-worth sector, building existing relationships in a well-established broker base, and cultivating new partnerships.

Head of Distribution – Private Clients

Wayne Knibbs

“Having four insurance designations, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with it, enables me to better counsel customers regarding the importance of having the appropriate insurance coverage”

Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting

Leadership

“A true leader can see potential in different employees, regardless of their position. Listening and recognizing the value of each individual not only inspires them but also makes them grow professionally”

Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting

Leadership

Mike Carolan

Head of Distribution – Commercial

Mike Carolan is a highly experienced insurance professional with over 40 years of experience. His career began as an underwriter (RSA in Newcastle and London) before he moved to insurance broking in London, where he held roles at Aon, Willis and most recently PIB, working closely with clients and professionals in the UK real estate development and construction sectors. Carolan is responsible for leading the company’s commercial distribution channel, leveraging his expertise and well-established commercial relationships to strengthen partnerships and delivering business growth from new commercial broker collaborations.

Head of Distribution – Commercial

Mike Carolan

Chris Harris

Head of Underwriting

Chris Harris has worked in the renovation insurance sector for over 10 years and was announced as the head of underwriting in January 2023. Often found in the central London office, he specialises in large complex renovation cases, including basements, facade retentions, piling and excess layers. Harris is Dip CII-qualified by the Chartered Insurance Institute and is continuing his studies to build further knowledge and develop his core competencies.

Head of Underwriting

Chris Harris

Renovation Underwriting (RU) was established in 2018. It was borne out of the well-established, highly regarded team at retail broking firm Renovation Insurance Brokers (RIB). The original broking business was set up in 2010, but the team quickly observed there weren’t enough good renovation insurance products to access. Managing Director Douglas Brown identified that most people undertaking building work didn’t get the cover they needed, either because they thought they were already covered (but weren’t) or because there weren’t exceptional cover options available to help. This struck him, and still does, as a failure on the part of the insurance industry. He wanted to put it right without compromising on the quality of products or advice that consumers demand. The investment that followed the emergence of RU made this mission possible. RU specialises in the provision of insurance and consultancy services for high-value residential and commercial renovation and building projects, with tailored renovation policies available through brokers all over the country. RU is clear that nobody should lose their property because they are not adequately insured. Contract works expertise sits at the heart of the RU team, a specialist team driven to ensure that property owners are fully protected during renovations.

Matthew Dover

Head of Operations

Natalia Child

Head of Broker and Professions CPD

Maxine Owen

Head of Finance

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Matthew Dover worked at Renovation Insurance Brokers with MD Douglas Brown before becoming part of the launch team for Renovation Underwriting in 2018. As head of operations, he works closely with the underwriting team, holds key relationships with all partners across the insurance sector and is integral to the delivery and performance of multiple, transactional policy portals for the sector.

Head of Operations

Matthew Dover

Natalia Child began her career in insurance in 2012 and, since then, has worked in both underwriting and private client broking. She is chartered, has an advanced diploma in insurance and has a law degree. Passionate about education, Child is responsible for delivering the CDP program and the Contract Works Academy, designed to upskill renovation knowledge and increase confidence across the sector.

Head of Broker and Professions CPD

Natalia Child

With over 30 years of experience in the finance and accounting sector, Maxine Owen has worked in a wide variety of industries, including private medical, vehicle, transport and education. When she joined Renovation Underwriting in 2017, Owen brought with her a deep understanding of corporate treasury and the foreign exchange/money market, along with the management of multi-currency exposure with inter-company transactions. She is also an affiliated member of AAT, the professional body for accounting technicians.

Head of Finance

Maxine Owen

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

Sarah M Stewart

Associate Vice President, Leasing and Call Centre Operations

Karen Bannister, CM

Vice President, Marketing

Dave Longbottom

Chief Technology Officer

Alex Ventura

Head of Marketing

Damian Palovick

Senior Vice President of Underwriting AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Dr. Mary Lavoie

Head of Risk Management and Senior Vice President AXA XL – Delegated Authority Programs, North America

Mark Bernacki

Chief Underwriting Officer

Ryan Armijo

Chief Operating Officer, Underwriting Division

Bob Petrilli

President, Underwriting Division

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Broker communication, training and development

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Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

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Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting

“Having four insurance designations, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with it, enables me to better counsel customers regarding the importance of having the appropriate insurance coverage”

Saray Uribe, CharSan Insurance & Consulting

employee benefits regional retail P&C specialty P&C underwriting direct-to-consumer programs

“Alliant has achieved growth in each of these categories via a potent combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions with plans to continue on this forward trajectory,” explains executive vice president and director, M&A development, Stephen Farr. “Our goal is to achieve strong organic growth, over 10%, augmented by selective and strategic M&A activity.” Breaking down the specific drivers of growth, Farr adds, “Alliant’s P&C verticals have achieved the highest level of growth in the brokerage space, and the company’s generalist producers have also been a beneficiary by virtue of producing more complex, industry-specific accounts via partnerships with Alliant specialty brokers. Our direct-to-consumer business has been growing at a rapid rate via acquisitions and alignment with other Alliant divisions on cross-selling opportunities.” The firm enables its team to work effectively with a synergy-creating structure. Zimmer says, “The Alliant experience is defined by best-in-class teams, service, innovation, and a dynamic and collaborative environment where we work together to achieve powerful, long-term results for our clients and partners. We proactively eliminate walls and silos within our organization, allowing our team members to be both responsive and innovative in their approach to serving clients.” The firm’s profile was boosted with the launch of Alliant Consumer Group, a dedicated unit housing Alliant’s growing portfolio of consumer-facing operations. There was also the creation of the Alliant Insurance Foundation in 2023, a charitable, non-profit organization focused on promoting justice and equality by expanding access to opportunities for career growth and advancement for individuals with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Alliant also has an active philanthropy program. Across 2023, Alliant professionals collectively raised/contributed:

more than $1 million in funds over $2.3 million in combined monetary and in-kind donations through an annual World Food Derby initiative 2,320 volunteer hours to numerous deserving organizations, making a significant community impact

Alliant’s progress is set to continue, as underlined by Zimmer, who has confidence in the firm’s people to deliver continued excellence. “We believe in our business plan, and it has proven successful. We don’t feel the need to change that. Our core business plan will continue to drive the company forward, complemented by new opportunities that may arise in the future.”