The West of England P&I Club is strengthening its management team with Bart Mertens. The lawyer will become Chief Underwriting Officer of the insurance company from 2025.
Mertens brings with him over 30 years of experience in the maritime insurance industry and succeeds Simon Parrott, who is retiring.
For the past 14 years, Mertens has worked as part of the senior underwriting management team at another international insurance company. He holds a master’s degree in law, marine science and business law.
His career started out as a P&I correspondent in Antwerp as a claims handler. From there he moved to the management of a “leading insurance broker” before moving into underwriting in 2010.
Mertens is evidence of “positive progress” at West
“We are delighted to announce that Bart Mertens will take on the role of CUO at West after Simon Parrott retires in 2025,” said Tom Bowsher, Croup CEO at West. Parrott has made a significant contribution to the company’s success and they are looking forward to facilitating a seamless transition before next summer.
“The fact that West has been able to attract someone of Bart’s experience and calibre is further evidence of the positive progress we are making as a club, and I very much look forward to working closely with Bart in his new role as we continue to expand our service offering in our global underwriting function.”
Mertens himself looks back on the past 14 years with gratitude, but is excited about his new role. “West has taken bold and positive steps in recent years, strengthening the Club’s capital position, developing new and exciting product lines and expanding its regional presence in key maritime centres around the world, including most recently in the United Arab Emirates,” he said on the occasion of the change. “This strategy aligns with my own and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to the positive progress of the Club. I look forward to joining the underwriting team and working with Tom and the rest of the West management team to achieve our business objectives.”
Mertens will join West in January 2025 and will work closely with Simon Parrott through the next renewal cycle and into the 2025/26 policy year.
Parrott announced his retirement plans in April 2024, after which West conducted a thorough search for his successor as CUO. Until his retirement, Parrott will continue in his role and remain a member of West’s Board of Directors during this time, the insurer announced.
