The following text field filters the results that follow as you type.
Markel has appointed Jo Sykes as divisional director for the UK broker channel.
Published on 5 December, 2023
Author: Markel UK
The move is the latest to support the delivery of its ambitious growth strategy, with a clear focus on developing broker relationships. She will assume full profit and loss responsibility for this rapidly growing Markel business.
Sykes joins from AXA, where she was director of commercial SME, leading their growth plans, digital transformation and associated underwriting results. Her career spans over 25 years, including roles at Zurich and RSA across commercial insurance.
Under Sykes’s leadership Markel will continue building its specialist books in care, technology and construction, as well as market-leading professional indemnity capability in the UK market. Sykes’ experience will bring a commercial focus that will balance Markel’s continued ambition for growth with its long-term sustainable underwriting approach, and ongoing dedication to better support brokers and their customers.
Neil Galjaard, Markel UK’s divisional managing director, said: “As a people-first business I’m delighted to welcome Jo to Markel, she brings a wealth of experience and an excellent track-record of building, developing and maintaining broker relationships. Her arrival at Markel is yet more evidence that we will continue to invest in our people and deliver the market-leading levels of service that our brokers and policyholders expect of us. I look forward to the value she will add to the Markel business."
Sykes will join Markel on 2 January 2024 and will be a member of the UK executive team, reporting into Galjaard. She will be based in the business’ Leeds office.