Gallagher appoints crisis management, financial lines CEOs

Gallagher has made two new leadership appointments within its specialty division.

Paul Bassett has been appointed CEO of crisis management and Simon Brookes will become CEO of financial lines.

Bassett joined Gallagher in 2015 as managing director of crisis management, prior to which he held senior positions at both Aon and JLT.

During his tenure he has overseen the growth of Gallagher’s crisis management offering including the UK acquisition of Another Day, a risk management consultancy, in 2022.

The team’s crisis focus includes political violence, political risk, terrorism, kidnap & ransom, product recall, supported by crisis consulting teams.

Brookes has a long-standing career at Gallagher and joined through the acquisition of Heath Lambert in 2011.

Currently managing director of professional risks and in his new role he will become CEO of Gallagher Specialty’s management liability, cyber, financial institutions and professional risks teams.

Both Bassett and Brookes will report to Jonathan Turner, CEO of Gallagher Specialty.

Julian Wallers, who was previously CEO of financial risks, encompassing both these teams, moves to a chairman role for these specialisms and all the changes will take effect from 1 April 2025.

“Many specialty clients are looking for crisis management and financial lines solutions and both areas are fast expanding as firms grapple with the ever-evolving risks facing their business,” said Turner.

“I have worked with both Paul and Simon for a number of years, and they are both fantastic leaders, and will bring further expertise and knowledge to my executive team. I am looking forward to 2025 and beyond as we further extend our products and services on offer.”

He added: “I would also like to thank Julian for his hard work and efforts to build these teams to where they are today; we have an unrivalled level of skill and knowledge in our business, and the fact that we have been able to make these senior level appointments from within our existing team demonstrates the strong talent we have at Gallagher.”