DUAL North America Names Ashby CEO

DUAL Group announced the the appointment of Ed Ashby as chief executive officer, DUAL North America, effective March 23.

Ashby will lead the U.S. business from New York, reporting to Richard Clapham, CEO, DUAL Group.

Ashby joins from Axis, where he was chief commercial officer. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at QBE, including head of global distribution, North America and head of credit and surety. He brings 30 years of experience in the U.S. market, having begun his career in the UK.

Clapham said Ashby will “focus on expanding our offering for our U.S. broker network and their clients, strengthening our carrier partnerships, and creating additional capacity vehicles.”

London-based DUAL, a managing general agent, is the underwriting arm of Howden Group. CEO David Howden said the U.S. “represents the single largest growth opportunity for DUAL.”

“Our ambition to accelerate our model in North America – attracting the very best underwriting talent and giving them a platform to drive innovative capacity and products to meet the needs of brokers and clients – matches the opportunity that this important market presents,” he added.

John Johnson was CEO of DUAL North America, a role he held since DUAL acquired Align Financial Holdings in 2021. Johnson was president at Align.

Clapham thanked Johnson, who will be working with Ashby to “ensure a seamless transition.”