RU announces the arrival of high net worth insurance specialist Wayne Knibbs
Renovation Underwriting, the MGA that offers specialist renovation capacity and expertise, has today announced the arrival of a new senior hire for the firm. Wayne Knibbs, formerly of Aviva, Azur and AIG, joins as Head of Distribution – Private Clients. The role was previously held by James Guthrie, who now leads all distribution activity as the overall Head of Distribution.
Wayne’s arrival significantly bolsters RU’s distribution arm and is a sign of continued growth for the MGA; as part of a dedicated distribution team that was only formed three years ago with the arrival of James Guthrie. As the third member of the distribution team, Wayne will work alongside Mike Carolan, Head of Distribution – Commercial, who joined the business 12 months ago.
Well-known amongst the high net worth insurance community, Knibbs brings over 25 years of insurance industry experience – most recently at Aviva, which he joined further to the insurer’s acquisition of Azur; where he was Head of Sales for nearly six years. Senior private client experience also comes from roles at AIG in a position as Business Development Manager in the Private Client Group, as well as 10+ years developing business in the specialist Superyacht insurance sector.
Commenting on the new appointment, Douglas Brown, Managing Director of Renovation said:
“I’m pleased beyond words that Wayne has been able to join us at RU. He is a well-respected member of the distribution community and builds on the work already undertaken by James Guthrie ‘The Godfather’ of HNW distribution. Wayne’s experience at the top level of the HNW space further underlines our commitment to our broking and insurer relationships. We wish him well and look forward to working with him on the further expansion of Renovation Underwriting”.
Investing in Wayne Knibbs’ expertise enables Renovation Underwriting to further expand its distribution activity in the private client market, supporting the business’s continuing growth across the high-net-worth sector. Knibbs will continue to build RU’s private client distribution channel, develop opportunities within existing relationships in a well-established broker base, and cultivate further business growth from new partnerships.
Speaking of his new appointment, Wayne said:
“It is an absolute pleasure to join the market-leading Renovation Underwriting team. I’ve admired the exceptional reputation of the business and Douglas Brown’s leadership for many years and have always been struck by RU’s clear vision and cohesiveness of the team. “I’m hugely excited to have the opportunity to play an instrumental part in RU’s continuing growth. I join a business that has achieved incredible success, but I can see so much potential to scale further and look forward to building on such a solid platform.”
Wayne officially joined Renovation Underwriting on Tuesday 2 April and is set to join fellow RU colleagues at BIBA 2024; as part of the on-stand team on 15 and 16 May. Developed especially for the flagship event, this year’s RU stand will showcase how creativity sits at the heart of RU’s contract works approach and encourage continued creativity in our profession.
