Everest looks within to find new distribution head

Everest Group has promoted Charlie Higham to be senior vice president and head of Everest Underwriting Partners following the retirement of Brian Dunn.

Everest said Drum retires from Everest on September 1 after 16 years with the company.

Higham will lead all programme administrator and digital distribution partnerships to support the growth and expansion of the company’s portfolio.

“Everest is fortunate to have the calibre of underwriting talent like Charlie who is well suited to lead one of our most profitable portfolios,” said Mike Mulray president, Everest Insurance North America. “Charlie’s portfolio management expertise combined with a deep understanding and appreciation for our distribution relationships brings a unique perspective to this important business line and the partners we serve.”

Higham has 20 years of specialty insurance experience and most recently served as Everest’s head of financial and professional lines where he led the strategy and built a dedicated financial lines team from the ground up.

Prior to Everest, Higham ran the financial institutions group at Zurich North America. Earlier in his career, he held underwriting and management positions in the international and financial institution departments at both Arch Insurance Group and The Hartford.

“In addition to congratulating Charlie, we also want to thank Brian for the significant impact he made on our business and wish him all the best in his retirement,” continued Mulray. “His underwriting discipline, professionalism and integrity has set an extremely high bar we will proudly carry forward working alongside Charlie and his team.”