The Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA) has named Julia Coakley as head of operations.
Coakley will be responsible for all operational functions of the MGAA. She takes on the role from Ben Busfield who left the trade body to join insurer Zurich in October last year.
Previously senior customer relationship manager at the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and the Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB), Coakley has also worked as a specialist high net worth (HNW) underwriter at insurer Chubb and at insurance broker Lark.
Coakley said her primary focus will be on ensuring the MGAA continues to deliver quality services to its members. She is also tasked with developing relevant business relationships for the benefit of the MGAA community.
MGAA CEO Mike Keating said: “I’m delighted to welcome Julia to the MGAA Executive team as our Head of Operations. Her experience gained at the MIB and the IFB will be invaluable to the MGAA as we continue to both increase our membership and relentlessly improve our benefits proposition.”
Former Qlaims executive Keating took over the reins at the association in September last year following the retirement of Peter Staddon.
The trade body launched a sweeping overhaul of its board at the beginning of last year in a move which saw Chris Harman of Resolution Underwriting and Lyndsey Thompson of Incorporated Insurance Group added to the top table.
Harman and Thompson assumed the seats previously held by Charles Earle and Mark Birrell, both of whom stepped away from the board.
The MGAA has 143 full MGA members which represent £6.1bn ($7.9bn) of underwriting capacity. They are joined by 33 market practitioner members and 68 supplier members.
