Ascent Underwriting appoints Richard Moir as senior underwriter, W&I

Cyber and specialty lines MGA, Ascent Underwriting has appointed Richard Moir as senior underwriter, warranty and indemnity (W&I), effective immediately.

In his new role, Moir will support the development of the specialist niche line and report to Alex Smith, head of W&I.

He joins the business from CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP, where he served as a corporate associate, advising on M&A transactions across a variety of sectors.

Ascent Underwriting said Moir’s appointment is one of several initiatives to enhance Ascent’s W&I capabilities. Building on its partnership with Luminance, Ascent has integrated its innovative machine learning technology to expose potential risks across the portfolio.

Smith said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Richard who will be a great addition to our expanding W&I proposition.”

Paul Western, group chief underwriting officer, added: “Richard’s M&A expertise will be valuable as we continue to build momentum within the W&I space. Whilst inevitably there’s a Covid-19-related hiatus, M&A in the SME sector remains underserved by insurers and we’re seeing a growing pipeline of interest.”