Markel Group revealed on Monday that Simon Wilson has been named the new chief executive officer of Markel Insurance. The insurance arm encompasses the company’s core underwriting businesses: Markel Specialty, Markel International, and Markel Global Reinsurance. Wilson previously served as president of Markel International.
The leadership change is “part of a broader effort to sharpen the company’s customer focus by empowering each of their teams to serve the distinct needs of their respective markets,” Markel stated. Tom Gayner, CEO of Markel Group, noted that Markel’s growth into a global specialty insurer, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, “brought new challenges and unnecessary complexity, as confirmed by our ongoing board-led business review.”
Gayner continued, “At times, we unintentionally made it harder for our people to serve our customers.” He expressed confidence in Wilson’s “vision for growing this fortress of an insurance business through teams that are focused on serving the customers and markets that they know best.”
Wilson brings over two decades of experience in scaling the operations of large specialty insurance organizations. He joined the group in 2010 to lead international business development and is credited as the “primary architect” behind Markel International’s expansion beyond London. Wilson held the position of managing executive of global strategy for Markel starting in January 2020 and became president of Markel International in 2021.
As part of this transition, Jeremy Noble will be departing from the company. Noble had been president of Markel’s insurance operations since late 2022, when Gayner assumed the sole CEO role following co-CEO Richard R. Whitt III’s retirement. Before that, Noble served as the group’s senior vice president and chief financial officer.
Markel also announced that the leadership teams of subsidiaries State National and Nephila will maintain their high degree of autonomy and will now report directly into Markel Group, alongside Markel Insurance.
In another significant development, Markel Group announced that Anthony F. (Tony) Markel, currently vice chairman of the board, will retire as a director at the end of the annual shareholder meeting in May. He will then assume the honorary position of Chairman Emeritus of the Board.
Tony Markel’s tenure with the company began in 1964. He rose to the positions of president and chief operating officer in 1992. He joined the board in 1978 and became vice chair in 2009. Together with Alan Kirshner and Steve Markel, Tony Markel led the company’s initial public offering in 1986. Under their leadership, Markel grew from approximately $60 million in total assets in 1986 to roughly $25 billion by 2016, when they transitioned leadership to the next generation.
“Tony is larger than life and it would be hard to overstate his impact on this company,” remarked Steve Markel, chairman of the board. “He was not just a highly effective operator and leader, he was the heartbeat of Markel with an unmatched ability to motivate and connect with people.”
Jon Michael has also been appointed to Markel’s Board of Directors, effective March 15. Michael was chairman of RLI Corp. from 2011 to 2024 and served as president and CEO of RLI from 2001 to 2021. After joining RLI in 1982, Michael held various positions, including president and chief operating officer, executive vice president, and chief financial officer.
