Former Merlin manager joins GAB Robins

GAB Robins has hired former Merlin regional manager Andrew Considine as operational projects director and the loss adjuster is looking to expand its team to deal with the work arising from this summer’s flooding.

Considine had agreed to join GAB Robins before Merlin went into administration this month.

His appointment follows former Merlin director Russell Crewe’s move to Direct Group last week, seven months after LAS Claims said he would be joining its team in 2013.

GAB Robins chief operating officer Mike Jones, who Considine will report in to, said the new hire would be working on technical and service side, as well as the graduate programme.

Considine’s remit will also include rolling out a number of IT projects and the client facing side.

Jones said GAB Robins was looking to recruit at the moment as a result of a significant influx of work from the floods at the end of July and the beginning of this month.

In addition, he said, the firm needed to bring in new personnel to deal with accounts that had matured and surge work.

“We are looking to take the opportunity as and wen it arises to hire talented people to assist us from a management point of view, hence Andrew’s appointment,” he said.

Considine, who is the chairman of the Chartered Institute of Loss Adjusters Future Focus, joined Merlin in January 2008 as head of special investigations and was based in Leeds, prior to becoming regional manager three years ago.

Merlin went into administration two weeks ago with 200 staff being made redundant.

Merlin administrators BDO blamed the benign weather, fierce competition and fewer weather-related claims. BDO will now wind up the firm, which made a £6m operating loss and had debts of £9m.