Business Moves: United Risk to Acquire DUAL Crisis Management Program, Team

Managing general agency United Risk said it has an agreement to buy DUAL North America’s crisis management program, with its underwriting and claims teams.

The unit will be renamed First Product Protection, serving as an independent division of New York-based United Risk. It will add product recall and contaminated products to United Risk’s book of business.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hayden Smith, CEO of United Risk, as well as Mark LeBlanc and Robley Moor—founders of the program—will assume leadership roles at First Product Protection.

“United Risk’s value lies in quality and diversification, and First Product Protection immediately adds value to the enterprise by complementing United Risk’s strong bench of program managers, varied lines of business, diverse roster of fronts, reinsurers and brokers, while further strengthening business ties with Lloyd’s,” said Jamie Sahara, chairman of United Risk.

Targeted classes of business include food and beverage, transportation (aviation, aerospace, rail, auto), consumer and industrial electronics and appliances, communications equipment, sporting and recreational equipment, clothing apparel, footwear, toys, and furniture.

DUAL North America CEO John Johnson said the sale allows the program administrator to focus on core growth areas such as commercial property, casualty, and financial lines, as well as emerging specialty markets.

LeBlanc has 25 years of experience specializing in product contamination, product recall, security risk management and crisis management, having served as managing principal, DUAL Group: Global Head Crisis Management (June 2021-present). He was previously head of crisis management at Swiss Re and vice president of crisis management at Crum & Forster.

Moor has more than 25 years of specialty underwriting and insurance leadership experience, most recently as managing director, crisis management, DUAL UK, London. Prior to that he was managing principal, crisis management, DUAL North America.