Former DLG chief operating officer among trio to join Markerstudy ahead of Atlanta merger

Markerstudy has appointed three new non-executive directors ahead of its upcoming merger with Atlanta.

A statement released yesterday (29 November 2023) said John Castagno, Ellie Barlow and Steve Maddock would be joining the group to support its objectives going forward.

Maddock will bring 30 years of insurance experience to the role, with him having held roles at Capita, RSA and Direct Line Group, where he was chief operating officer for 12 years.

Meanwhile, Castagno has held roles across the insurance, technology and services industry over a 45 year period.

This includes leadership positions at Legal and General, The Equity Group, Hastings Direct, British Gas and latterly Post Office Insurance.

And Barlow will bring experience from the retail financial services market – she has also held senior executive roles for global insurers and price comparison brands such as Compare The Market, Money Supermarket and Zurich Insurance.

Kevin Spencer, chief executive of Markerstudy, said: “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to John, Ellie and Steve.

“Their combined breadth of knowledge and experience will be an asset to our group and our boards and will support our objectives going forward.”

Atlanta

This came after Markerstudy announced that it would merge with Ardonagh’s personal lines broking business Atlanta to create a “major new platform” in the personal lines market.

Announced earlier this year (15 September 2023), the deal will provide a range of insurance products to consumers, including home and motor insurance, and will employ around 7,300 people across the UK.

The combined business is also estimated to transact over £3bn in annual gross written premium (GWP).

Spencer said: “There are few deals in the market with the potential to be truly transformational for all parties concerned and a combination with Atlanta has been a long-term ambition of ours.

“The strong alignment in our models and shared values and ambitions simply could not be ignored. I’ve never been more excited for the future.”