Mark Cliff appointed chairman of MGA Avid

Industry veteran Mark Cliff has been named as the new chairman of MGA Avid.

Avid offers a range of commercial and personal lines products, but specialises in social housing, property and travel products.

Cliff will hold on to his non-executive director roles at Be Wiser and Evolution Claims Management, as well as consultancy positions with insurtech Iotatech.

He was previously chief executive of Brightside and has held a variety of senior roles in the insurance industry, including AZA, RSA, and Ageas.

Cliff begins his new role immediately.

Avid is majority owned by private equity firm Beech Tree and was founded by managing director Stephen Gibson, who today commented that Cliff’s ”wide-ranging experience will be an invaluable asset to Avid as we move forward with our exciting plans for growth in our existing markets and in new sectors and products”.

“Mark will help steer our strategy and assist our business development, including inorganic growth, where we have made no secret of our desire to acquire businesses and specialist underwriting teams, where they make strategic sense.”

Commenting on the MGA’s plight during the tough market conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, he added: “We continue to enjoy strong backing from insurer partners, a robust technology platform and a clear-sighted view of the growth opportunities that are arising as the market reacts to the pandemic.”

While Cliff said in a statement that Avid was ”one of the most exciting prospects in the MGA sector”.