Norwegian marine insurer Gard has appointed Marie Kelly as head of its London defence team.
Kelly, who will also serve as the vice president of Gard's global defence operation, joins from Norton Rose Fulbright, where she led its litigation practice in Greece since 2005 and was appointed partner in 2017.
Kelly said: “Gard is a world class P&I Club with a tremendous global network and a singular focus on the maritime industries. I am delighted to be joining them to further develop the Defence offering and deliver the client service that is a vital part of the brand.”
Gard’s Defence team handles legal disputes arising out of shipowners and charterers’ commercial operation of a ship or mobile offshore unit.
It comes into play when disputes are not covered by conventional hull and machinery or protection and indemnity (P&I) cover.
“We are very pleased that Marie is joining our market-leading defence team,” Christen Guddal, chief claims officer at Gard, said:
She has a wealth of experience from private practice across all kinds of shipping disputes – both wet and dry, that will be of enormous value to our Members and a significant additional resource for our dedicated Defence lawyers.”
It has been a case of all change at the senior positions at Arendal-based Gard recently.
In December last year Magne Nilssen was appointed chief underwriting officer in London.
However, earlier Louise Nevill left her role as UK vice president of marine at Gard to join borker Marsh JLT Specialty as head of UK marine and cargo broking.
