Pen Underwriting Australia, a Gallagher-owned specialist managing general agent (MGA), has appointed Paul Behm as head of underwriting and Ev Synnott as head of operational strategy and transformation, effective 1 August, the firm announced on Wednesday.
Behm has been with Pen for over eight years, most recently serving as manager of liability. He brings extensive industry experience, having also held senior roles in distribution and business development at One Underwriting and Freeman McMurrick. He also worked for Allianz Australia, Lumley, Vero and Aon Risk Solutions earlier in his career.
“Paul will lead our Property, Liability and Motor underwriting teams driving performance, capability development and consistent strong outcomes for our broker partners,” the company said in its announcement.
Synnott, meanwhile, moves into the newly created head of operational strategy & transformation role after serving as Pen’s strategic projects lead since September 2023.
They previously spent more than eight years with Pen between 2013 and 2021, before joining Swiss Re Corporate Solutions as operations manager for Australia and New Zealand. Synnott also held senior roles at Coverforce earlier in their career.
In their new role, Synnott “will lead our enterprise transformation agenda, helping to enhance operational excellence through process optimisation, technology enablement and organisational change,” the company said.
Pen said the appointments reflect its focus on internal talent development, leadership succession and long-term business growth.
