North P&I Club managing director Alan Wilson has retired.
Wilson, along with chief executive Paul Jennings, was associated with the dramatic growth of the protection and indemnity mutual over the past four decades.
The pair worked at the club as it grew from an insurer with just two million gt of ships on its books in the 1980s to 200 million gt today, making it one of the largest P&I mutuals.
Financial strength
As joint managing directors, the duo became dubbed “the likely lads” after the popular 1970s' TV comedy based in the city of Newcastle, in the north-east of the UK, where North is based.
Jennings said: “During his time as joint managing director, Alan worked tirelessly to reinvigorate North’s financial strength whilst driving a culture of service and quality.
“Alan will be fondly remembered for his unrivalled attention to detail and for how much he genuinely cared for the people he worked with.”
Following Wilson’s retirement, key hires have been made in preparation for further growth.
Savraji Mehta, a former shipmaster, will take on the newly created position of chief commercial officer and will “identify market opportunities”, Jennings said.
Thya Kathiravel has been appointed global chief underwriting officer, with Steve Rebair and Simon Main as his deputies.Main was formerly the chief operating officer at the UK P&I Club.
Mike Salthouse and Matt More have been appointed as global deputy claims directors.
Exciting Times
Earlier this month, TradeWinds reported how North had recruited specialist staff from the American Club to help it expand into the fixed premium market from its London office.
In addition, subsidiary Sunderland Marine, which the North acquired in 2014, contributed $11m to the mutual’s bottom line in its 2018 policy year.
Jennings said: “This is a really exciting time for the North.”
