Markel, the insurance business unit of Markel Group Inc., announces the appointment of James Shankland as Head of U.S. Ocean Freight.
In his new role, Shankland will lead the growth of Markel’s U.S. freight portfolio, overseeing underwriting strategy, portfolio management and broker engagements.
He will be based in Vankel’s New York office, working closely with the actuarial, claims, operations and distribution teams to ensure rigorous execution across the business.
Shankland brings extensive ocean cargo underwriting leadership experience to global insurers, with a proven track record of portfolio management, underwriting discipline and broker engagement.
Prior to joining Markel, he worked at AIG, most recently as head of Ocean Marine’s underwriting team, where he managed a significant cargo portfolio, led the underwriting team and worked closely with prime brokers to drive profitable growth.
Prior to this, Shankland spent six years at Allianz, most recently as product manager for ocean freight underwriting.
Ocean Marine Managing Director Michael Keely commented: “James has a deep understanding of the increasingly complex risk, operational and underwriting challenges our brokers and clients face in today’s freight market.
“By building on the success of our global freight business and investing in a dedicated U.S. ocean freight team, we are bringing the same level of expertise and reliability to the U.S. market.”
“I am excited to leverage Markel’s global capabilities to bring a disciplined, long-term strategy to the U.S. market,” said Shankland. “Demand for consistent underwriting, technical expertise and meaningful capabilities is strong, and I look forward to working closely with our brokers and clients to deliver solutions that support their evolving maritime risks.”
