Dale Underwriting Partners enters international PI market

Dale Underwriting Partners is to enter the international professional indemnity insurance market and has appointed Ryan Barnes as head of professional lines, with effect from January 2025. Dale Underwriting Partners is the trading name for Dale Managing Agency’s Lloyd’s Syndicate 1729.

Based in London, Barnes will be responsible for building and optimising Dale’s international professional indemnity business and will report to Ian Bridge, active underwriter. Barnes joins from Westfield Specialty, where he held the position of head of professional lines – international.

“Ryan has an excellent reputation and great experience within the Professional Indemnity market, and we look forward to welcoming him to Dale,” said Bridge. “Ryan’s arrival will help us develop new opportunities to diversify and grow into long tail international business. Our strategy is to build long-term sustainable value across our books, and entering into the professional indemnity market is complementary to our healthcare and casualty portfolios. This endeavour allows us to further expand our client and broker proposition, and optimise our sustainable growth plans.”

Barnes has over 20 years’ insurance industry experience. He started his career at Sampo Industrial Insurance NV in 2000 before joining Marketform Syndicate 2468 in 2002. He left in 2011 to join ArgoGlobal, Syndicate 1200 as class underwriter professional indemnity. In 2016, he became head of casualty, and then head of professional lines international in 2018.

“This is a great opportunity for me to join Dale at an exciting time of growth for the company,” said Barnes. “I look forward to leading the Professional Indemnity team and will use my experience in the market to help build on Dale’s already impressive portfolio.”