MGAA grows board with new appointment

Markerstudy Group’s director of marketing and communications Lizzie Smith-Foreman has been elected to the board of the Managing General Agents’ Association (MGAA).

In a statement released today (1 November 2023), MGAA chief executive Mike Keating said Smith-Foreman’s “understanding of the communications challenges facing the MGA landscape will be invaluable” to the trade body.

Smith-Foreman joined Markerstudy Group as head of group marketing and communications around 13 years ago and, in addition to her current role, heads up sustainability across the firm.

Prior to joining the MGA, she served as marketing brand manager at mutual insurance group Groupama.

“[Smith-Foreman] has significant experience in marketing across the insurance industry, helping a range of organisations reach the audiences that matter most to them,” said Keating.

“Working alongside the largest MGA in the UK at Markerstudy, [her] understanding of the communications challenges facing the MGA landscape will be invaluable as we continue to grow our membership and develop our offering to existing members.”

Board formation

The MGAA’s board of elected directors lead the organisation with the support of five separate committees.

Smith-Foreman will join 11 existing board members, including Keating.

The board consists of Manchester Underwriting Management chief executive Charles Manchester, Jensten Group group placement director Jonathan Skinner, Miramar Underwriting chief executive Jeff Turner, DYC Insurelaw Consultants principal David Coupe, Lloyd’s regional manager Keith Stern, XS Assure director Marco Del Carlo, Incorporated Insurance Group partner and head of operations Lyndsey Thompson, Resolution Underwriting chairman Chris Harman, Nutshell Consultancy director Sharon Brown and HDI Global Speciality director of delegated authority SE Jade Wilcox.

Established in 2011, the association now has 146 full members representing over £6.1bn of underwriting capacity. They are joined by 34 market practitioner members and 68 supplier members.