Markel Insurance, the insurance arm of Markel Group Inc., announced the promotion of Ben House to director of energy and power.
In his expanded responsibilities, Howes will oversee Markel’s renewable energy and power portfolio across its international divisions, adding to his existing role as head of Markel’s upstream, midstream and downstream energy teams.
As head of the newly unified Energy & Power team, Howes will manage an integrated team of underwriters, analysts and risk engineers focused on driving product innovation, strengthening long-term client relationships and optimizing the underwriting process.
He will be based in London and report to Rohan Davies, Managing Director, London Market.
House began his career at Markel in 2009 as an associate underwriter in the marine and energy division and has since progressed into senior roles, including being promoted to head of upstream in 2018.
In 2023, he was appointed Energy Director, where he played a key role in developing bespoke energy insurance solutions and building a strong global P&L across multiple international underwriting teams.
Davis commented: “The global power industry is experiencing significant growth, driven primarily by renewable energy and growing electricity demand, which is expected to grow by 25% by 2030. At the same time, heightened geopolitical risks, from trade wars to advanced cyberattacks, threaten critical infrastructure, further highlighting the important role of insurance in helping these businesses transfer and mitigate associated risks.
“Our clients’ risks, capital structures and technologies are increasingly converging. The combination of energy and power will allow us to more comprehensively underwrite portfolios, leverage our expertise more effectively and provide brokers and clients with simpler services, a more coordinated experience, while better positioning us to support the energy transition across the entire value chain.”
He continued: “Ben’s extensive experience in delivering customized solutions to clients across the energy sector, combined with his proven track record with leading global underwriting teams, makes him ideally suited to this comprehensive role. His expertise will be instrumental in helping to advance our leadership position in renewables, conventional energy and power generation.”
House said: “I am delighted to take on my new role as Director of Energy & Power at Markel International. Bringing together our energy & power underwriters, analysts and risk engineers will further strengthen our technical underwriting capabilities, enhance innovation and enable us to make more effective and empowered underwriting decisions that reaffirm coverage clarity, particularly for complex risks.”
