Pinnacle Underwriting has appointed Brendan McDonald to head the expansion of its casualty and financial lines offering across Asia-Pacific and Middle East and North Africa, the Sydney-headquartered managing general agent (MGA) announced in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.
McDonald joins after a two-year stint at Abu Dhabi Reinsurance Company Limited, where he was most recently head of liability and specialty lines. For his new role, he will be based at Dubai International Financial Centre.
He brings more than 20 years of international underwriting leadership experience across the UK, Middle East, Asia, and Australia, with a strong reputation for building high‑performing portfolios and broker‑focused solutions. He held various leadership roles during his time at Generali Global Corporate & Commercial, Oman Insurance Company, and Zurich Insurance Company.
Pinnacle said that through a new binding agreement with a multinational insurer, it secured an exclusive broad form facility with dedicated capacity across commercial general liability, including product and public liability, professional indemnity, and directors and officers liability reinsurance.
“Together, these milestones mark a significant step forward in Pinnacle’s continued growth across the region,” the MGA said.
The developments follow the approval for Pinnacle to be a Lloyd’s coverholder, authorising it to underwrite on behalf of the Lloyd’s market, late last month, and its acquisition by United Risk, a New York-headquartered international property and casualty insurance underwriting and distribution platform, in June 2025.
