Pen Underwriting reshapes marine practice, announces several leadership appointments

Pen Underwriting, a multi-class multi-territory managing general agent (MGA), has announced a number of leadership appointments within its specialist Marine practice and announced structural changes aimed at accelerating strategic growth and future expansion.

All roles will be effective 1 January 2026 and report into Seb Simmonds, who currently serves as Managing Director of Pen Underwriting’s Public Sector & International division, within which the specialist Marine practice sits.

According to the announcement, the new structure maintains Pen’s specialised marine underwriting practices, with internal promotions elevating dedicated leaders to manage individual portfolio performance.

To foster operational excellence and support strategic growth, new roles and responsibilities that span the entire practice have also been introduced.

Seb Simmonds, Managing Director of Public Sector & International at Pen Underwriting, commented: “Since we entered the specialist marine market in 2023, we have continued to invest in and enhance our proposition – expanding underwriting appetite, raising cover limits and adding new specialist lines, such as yacht insurance.

“Our focus now is on ensuring the practice is best positioned for future growth and expansion into adjacent product specialisms as and when the time is right, while ensuring our existing marine specialisms continue to deliver quality service and solutions for brokers and clients.”

Jack Buchan has been appointed Managing Director. In this position, he will assume the leadership of and responsibility for Pen’s brown water hull specialist, Fortify, and its team of underwriters

James King will head up and hold responsibility for Pen’s specialist ports & terminals facility – BMM Ports & Terminals -, as well as its underwriters, as Managing Director.

Stephen Loader was named Managing Director of Pen’s specialist marine trades business TMT, which provides tailored property and liability cover solutions for everything from boat builders, repairers and suppliers to equipment manufacturers, clubs and marinas.

Additionally, Munro Anderson, who is currently serving as Director of Operations for Vessel Protect, has been promoted to Director of Strategy & Operations for Pen’s Marine practice.

In his new pan-practice position, Munro will be responsible for implementing the strategic growth vision and ensuring operational excellence and consistency across all underwriting specialisms.

In a new, broader role, James Kent, currently a senior marine underwriter, will become Commercial Director. This new pan-practice position reflects his 25 years of extensive marine sector experience across underwriting, claims, and broking.

As Commercial Director, he will be responsible for developing new products and solutions, managing strategic distribution, and strengthening carrier relationships across all of Pen’s marine specialisms.

As part of these changes, Paul Hartley and Chris Goddard, currently Co-Managing Directors of Marine at Pen Underwriting, will be leaving the business on 1 January 2026.

Simmonds stated: “All those appointed today to take on pivotal practice roles have demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities since they became part of Pen. Being able to promote from within speaks to the talent and bench strength within our individual marine underwriting specialisms and having a single head of strategy and operations will ensure we are aligned in our capabilities, operationally fit and able to execute our shared vision.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chris and Paul for their contribution to the business over the past two years, as we worked to embed the marine capabilities into our broader suite of underwriting specialisms, and wish them all the best in their future endeavours.”