James River appoints former Gallagher chairman Joel Cavaness to board

Bermuda-based re/insurer James River has appointed former Gallagher chairman Joel Cavaness (pictured) as a non-executive director, adding extensive industry experience as the company works to rebound from a Q1 profit decline.

Cavaness brings nearly four decades of specialty property and casualty distribution experience to the board, joining its compensation and human capital committee in parallel.

Cavaness most recently served as chairman, Americas specialty at Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, following on from his position as president of Risk Placement Services, which he co-founded in 1997. Additionally, Cavaness served on the board of directors of the wholesale and specialty insurance association for more than a decade.

Christine LaSala, chair of James River’s board of directors, said: “Joel is an accomplished executive in the wholesale brokerage space and has successfully built high-performing distribution platforms throughout his career. His entrepreneurial mindset, extensive marketplace relationships, and decades of leadership experience align deeply with James River and will add helpful complementary perspective to our Board.”

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