RICHMOND, Va. – March 17, 2025 – Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) announced today that Simon Wilson, currently President of Markel International, will become the Chief Executive Officer of Markel Insurance, which encompasses the company’s three primary underwriting businesses: Markel Specialty, Markel International, and Markel Global Reinsurance.
This strategic leadership change is designed to sharpen Markel’s customer focus by empowering each team to address their specific market needs.
Wilson’s appointment arrives as part of a broader initiative to refine the company’s approach, a strategy that has been integral to Markel’s expansion from a smaller U.S. insurer to a global leader in specialty insurance since its public debut in 1986.
Wilson brings over two decades of experience in scaling large specialty insurance operations. He joined Markel in 2010 to spearhead international business development. He was the key architect of Markel International’s growth beyond London, significantly expanding operations in Europe, Canada, and Asia, which reached $2.5 billion in gross written premiums last year.
In 2020, Wilson was appointed Managing Executive of Global Strategy for Markel, supporting all underwriting operations directly. Since leading Markel International as President starting in 2021, the division has seen nearly a 40 percent increase in gross written premiums alongside a more than 250 percent rise in net underwriting profit.
Prior to Markel, Wilson held a leadership position at Lloyd’s Asia platform in Singapore.
“Simon is a proven leader with extensive insurance expertise, and his leadership approach aligns with both the Markel Style and our current needs,” said Tom Gayner, CEO of Markel Group. “Markel’s growth has been impressive, but it also brought new challenges and unnecessary complexity, as confirmed by our ongoing Board-led business review. At times, we unintentionally made it harder for our people to serve our customers. I’m confident in Simon’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.”
“I am deeply honored by this opportunity,” Wilson commented. “Markel performs best when its leaders are given equal measures of empowerment and accountability. Going forward, our focus will be on making decisions as close to the customer as possible, reducing complexity, and reaffirming our commitment to market leadership in each of our endeavors.”
As a result of this transition, Jeremy Noble will be departing the company.
Gayner added, “I have worked alongside Jeremy for over 20 years and am incredibly grateful for his tireless contributions to the company, particularly in recent years as he worked to strengthen the foundation of our insurance operations.”
Alongside this leadership transition, the teams at State National and Nephila will continue to operate independently and will now report directly to Markel Group, along with Markel Insurance. These three segments are set to continue collaborations where market opportunities present themselves.
About Markel Group Markel Group Inc. (NYSE: MKL) is a diverse family of companies spanning insurance and various other sectors. Its leadership teams operate with a high degree of autonomy while adhering to the core values of the Markel Style.
At the company’s core is its specialty insurance business. Built on sound underwriting principles, it offers the financial base from which the company has built a set of businesses and investments designed to increase Markel Group’s stability and adaptability. This helps deliver diverse income streams, provides access to a broad range of investment opportunities, and enables the effective allocation of capital to the best ideas across the company. Most importantly, it empowers each of our businesses to further our shared goal of helping our customers, associates, and shareholders succeed long-term.
