New casualty-focused MGA Casper to launch in the UK

Casper Specialty UK has announced its upcoming launch as a new specialist MGA, focused on the casualty market and led by Bradley Knight.

The MGA will operate independently as a sister entity of independent broker Miller, with capacity support from Argenta.

Cinven and GIC invested in Miller in 2021 and the establishment of Casper, as part of the broader Group, aligns closely with the ambition to support high-quality, specialty focused, insurance intermediaries.

Knight was most recently deputy active underwriter & head of Casualty Insurance at Argenta. He will join the board of Casper as CEO once regulatory approval has been obtained.

He will be supported by Simon Sykes, currently CEO of Polo Managing Agency and Polo Commercial Insurance Services, as COO, and Hugh Sprowson, previously head of FI at Argenta, as CUO.

Casualty undergoing dynamic change

Casper will begin writing business from 1 March 2023. Headquartered in London, it will also be structured to write European business. It will underwrite a broad range of FI and Professional Lines.

Knight commented that the casualty market is “undergoing dynamic change” as it adapts to factors such as high inflation and a more challenging economic environment.

“Myself and the team believe that there is a significant opportunity to offer carriers a proven underwriting partner that can enable them to access the opportunities these market conditions present,” he continued

“As a newly formed MGA, we will also look to put data at the heart of how we do business, offering real time access to our capacity partners giving them greater visibility over business written and underwriting performance.

Argenta offers capacity and expertise

“We are also delighted to have agreed a partnership with Argenta, building on the existing deep relationship. We look forward to beginning our growth journey with the support of our investors and market partners.”

Ian Burford, Argenta Group CUO, said: “We are delighted to support the launch of Casper and build on our existing relationships. Our multi-year partnership provides Casper with meaningful capacity for its programmes.

“The Casper team’s  proven expertise in the specialist casualty market is clear and we look forward to working with them as they seek to build a high-quality and profitable portfolio, as well as further deepening our relationship with the wider Miller Group.”

Casper is launching with the support of independent MGA incubation platform Pro MGA Global Solutions, which is providing regulatory frameworks and operational support to empower Casper’s sustainable growth going forward.