SSL Endeavour Confirms It Is Finalising Acquisition

Specialist independent Lloyd’s broker SSL Endeavour Limited has announced the appointment of Jonathan Palmer-Brown as group non-executive chairman and Hugh Crossland as group CFO. The appointments are effective immediately.

The company also announced that it is finalizing the acquisition of Worldlink Holdings, an aviation brokerage and managing general agent.

“In August last year, specialist marine broker SSL Insurance Brokers merged with delegated authority specialist Endeavour Insurance Services in a deal backed by JC Flowers,” said David Lawrence, group CEO of SSL Endeavour. “Today, the appointment of Jonathan Palmer-Brown as group non-executive chairman and Hugh Crossland as group CFO provides another significant boost to our platform at a time of unprecedented opportunity in our market, not least our expansion into North American and London market aviation business.”

Palmer Brown came into the London market in 1968 with brokers Stewart Smith. In 1988, he co-founded NCC Insurance Brokers, which was merged with Aon by 1993. At Aon, he served as chairman and chief executive of Aon Global Specialty and deputy chairman of the UK Group. He has also served as chairman of specialty business at JLT and chairman of LIIBA at LIBC.

Crossland, meanwhile, joins SSL Endeavour from JLT, where he served as CFO and commercial director for Latin America and Canada. Prior to that, he served as JLT’s group head of M&A. Crossland is a chartered accountant, having qualified with KPMG in its financial services division, SSL Endeavour said.

“It is a privilege to chair this group at such an opportune time and with the support and backing of JC Flowers,” Palmer-Brown said. “We have exciting plans for global expansion while we will also continue at pace to build in new business areas of SSL Endeavour’s London operation. Going on the ground in various geographies and getting underway in the reinsurance sector are included in our priorities.”

“I am delighted to be joining SSL Endeavour at such an exciting time,” Crossland said. “The team has big ambitions to build upon the platform of its existing, well-established businesses, and I’m looking forward to working with Jonathan Palmer-Brown, David Lawrence and the rest of SSL Endeavour’s executive team to drive the next phase of growth.”