01 / Rolf Thore Roppestad, Gard

Norway-based Gard is both the world’s largest P&I club and the biggest global provider of hull and machinery cover, written on a commercial basis to subsidise its mutual entries.

That alone would make the choice of chief executive Rolf Thore Roppestad a no-brainer on any list of marine insurance VIPs.

But 2025 has also seen Gard bolster its standing in offshore with the completion of its acquisition of Denmark’s Codan, while Roppestad himself took over as the chair of the International Group of P&I clubs in November. Truly a landmark year.

02 / Louise Worrell, Marsh

There are no reliable rankings for marine insurance brokers. But Marsh is the world’s largest broker by revenue across all classes — and almost certainly in the top trio in the marine space.

Louise Worrell was promoted to managing director of the marine hull practice at Marsh Speciality in 2024, making her one of the most high-profile women in an industry that is still very much male-dominated.

After graduating from Southampton University, her career in marine insurance began with JLT Specialty. She joined her current employer in 2020, after the Marsh takeover of JLT, and spent five years as marine hull practice head.

03 / Rich Soja, Allianz

Thirty-five-year industry veteran Rich Soja has, since 2024, been global head of marine at Allianz Commercial, the German insurance giant’s corporate and specialty wing.

His previous roles include global head of inland marine and regional head of marine for North America.

Prior to signing up with Allianz, he held underwriting and management roles at Chubb, Aspen and Tokio Marine.

The company had some major claims in 2025. It is understood to have led the hull slips on both the car carrier Morning Midas (IMO: 9289910) and tanker Stena Immaculate (IMO: 9693018), two of the year’s most spectacular casualties.

04 / David Kirk, Chubb

David Kirk’s name crops up regularly when marine insurers are asked which of their rivals they most respect, so he appears here by the endorsement of his peers.

Based in London, he was given executive responsibility in 2024 for Chubb Global Markets, the company’s London market wholesale and specialty business, including its Lloyd’s platform.

He has spent most of his 20-year career on the marine side of Chubb. Before his promotion, he served as head of marine and as deputy chief underwriting officer for the division.

Kirk also sits on the board of the London Market Group as a representative of the International Underwriting Association.

05 / Xu Lirong, China P&I Club

The International Union of Marine Insurance conference in Singapore in September 2025 was told that China is now indisputably a major player in H&M cover — and is only going to get more important.

Western P&I clubs are also forming an orderly queue to sign partnership deals with the country’s domestic insurers.

Xu Lirong is the chair of the China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association, commonly known as the China P&I Club, which is the largest marine mutual not to be in the International Group.

For decades, China P&I Club has stated its intention to sign up to the IG, although there would be political obstacles to overcome. But with more than 100m gt now reportedly on its books, it would instantly sit at seventh out of 13, were it allowed to join.

06 / John Potter, Convex

John Potter, head of marine at Convex for the past six years, is another London marine insurer to win persistent praise from other firms.

He joined Antares Managing Agency as an underwriter in 2008, rising to become head of marine and aviation prior to joining his current employer.

A graduate of Manchester University, he also has experience of several other classes, including political risk, terrorism, aviation and energy.

07 / Dan McCarthy, Markel

Dan McCarthy first became intrigued about marine insurance after a teenage work experience stint with a building society in the City in the mid-1990s. 

“I remember walking past a pub that was called The Underwriter and thinking: ‘That’s an odd name for a pub’,” he said in an interview with Lloyd’s List.

He joined the marine team at what was then Allianz Cornhill as an A-level school leaver. Three decades later, he is director of marine at Markel.

“We want to lead as much of our business as we possibly can. Why? Because we really back ourselves on the underwriting side and we back ourselves on the claims side,” he added.

Maxim De Prins was chosen as a star turn among cargo insurance brokers in the annual report on the niche from Gracechurch, which bases its findings on a survey of market participants.

After graduating magna cum laude in business studies at Karel de Grote Hogeschool Antwerpen, he commenced his career as a trainee at the Brussels branch of Hiscox, and initially built a reputation at Marsh & McLennan Companies in London before joining Lockton at senior vice-president level in late 2022.

His main focus is on North American stock throughput, with specialisms in pharmaceuticals, food and beverage and cold chain risks.

09 / Frédéric Denèfle, IUMI / Garex

War risk insurance obviously does well during times of war, and 2025 was certainly a time of major conflicts.

It is not clear just how profitable the class has been, given that insurers have paid out on some big total losses during the year, but it is possibly doing sufficiently well to subsidise H&M where rates have been falling for some time.

Probably the biggest player in continental Europe is the Paris-based Groupement d’Assurance de Risques Exceptionnels, led by managing director Frédéric Denèfle.

Garex, as it is known by its acronym, works on a consortium basis, with backers including AXA, Allianz, CCR Re, Generali, Helvetia, Mapfre and Scor. 

Denèfle doubles up as president of IUMI, a significant addition to the workload in his main job.

10 / Ilias Tsakiris, Hellenic Hull Management

As chief executive of Hellenic Hull Management and general manager of the American P&I Club’s European operations, Ilias Tsakiris has steered a once-regional platform into an international underwriting presence.

As chair of IUMI’s ocean hull committee, he has participated in influential discussions on market cycles, reinsurance pressures, sanctions, compliance and technical capacity-building.

He has also taken a prominent role in IUMI, growing educational endeavours in the hull space.

This list is part of the Lloyd’s List One Hundred People 2025 (Edition 16)

The Top 10 marine insurers ranking is collated by the Lloyd’s List editorial team and considers a mixture of traditional power brokers in an insular niche, as well as those doing noteworthy things within it