Falcon Risk Services, the wholly owned managing general agent (MGA) of HDI Global SE, has promoted John Merchant to chief underwriting officer (CUO), effective January 1, 2026.
Merchant was the first employee to join Falcon in October 2021, and he has since played an important role in MGA’s growth and development in the U.S. specialty insurance market, the company said.
In his new role, Merchant oversees Falcon’s network, professional liability and management lines of responsibility and is responsible for setting the overall underwriting direction of the business.
His expanded responsibilities are designed to bring Falcon’s underwriting organization under a unified leadership structure and enhance coordination and collaboration across product lines.
In addition, Merchant will continue to advance the integration of proprietary technology and data analytics into Falcon’s underwriting processes.
Craig Landi, founder and CEO of Falcon Risk Services, commented on the appointment: “John was Falcon’s first employee and played a key role in our evolution from a fledgling start-up to a high-growth specialty leader. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to building a best-in-class specialty insurance platform. John’s extensive insurance product knowledge, accumulated over decades in the industry, makes him uniquely qualified to serve as Chief Underwriting Officer.”
He added: “John understands what it takes to build a specialty insurance business while working closely with HDI Group. His long-standing and diverse distribution relationships enable Falcon to continue to develop innovative insurance products to meet the changing needs of today’s business environment.”
“While this is a significant professional milestone, this promotion is a reflection of the incredible team we have assembled at Falcon,” said Merchant. “We have built this company from the ground up together, and I am honored to lead our underwriting organization as we continue to innovate for our broker partners.”