Marine insurer Gard plans to restructure its activities largely around regional markets. Effective September 1, operations will be reconfigured into integrated teams, combining underwriting and claims handling expertise. The restructuring involves both the establishment of regional syndicates and changes at corporate level. The syndicates are new, and they are part of a broader organisational shift that also includes adjustments to corporate functions.
As part of the new business structure, Gard is forming five dedicated syndicates. The Nordics, Asia, Europe business units will be discrete geographic regions. There will also be a Greece, Americas, and London business unit, as well as a specialty business unit, led by executive vice president and chief underwriting officer, Christian Prichard-Davies.
Prichard-Davies is currently Gard’s chief financial officer and was instrumental in Gard’s recent acquisition of Codan’s global marine and energy portfolio. Torunn Biller White, now chief risk officer, will take over as chief financial officer. The legacy Codan businesses will be integrated into the new specialty business unit together with teams from the original Gard structure.
Gard is also setting up a team of specialists dedicated to handling large and complex claims across all business areas, in addition to experienced claims area leaders for marine, energy and P&I.
The current structure is primarily function-based, with underwriting and claims operating as separate departments. The new configuration marks a shift toward integrated regional teams that combine these functions. This change is designed to strengthen client focus and improve service delivery, the company said.
Gard is a global provider of protection and indemnity (P&I), marine, and energy insurance, with gross written premium of USD1.2 billion. It operates 15 offices worldwide with about 750 employees.
