Cooper Gay Opens San Francisco Office

London-based Cooper Gay Group, an independent insurance and reinsurance broker, has opened a San Francisco office to complement their existing wholesale insurance network in North America.

The new San Francisco office at 225 Bush Street, will serve as the company’s hub for the Western U.S. It will operate as both Cooper Gay and Leadenhall Insurance Brokers Inc. The office can be reached at (415) 391-0202.

The addition joins the North American headquarters based here and offices in Birmingham, Ala., opened last month, Toronto (operating as Creechurch International Underwriters Ltd.) and Concord, N.H.

David Novak, assistant vice president at Cooper Gay in New York, has been charged with opening and staffing the San Francisco office.

“We are actively recruiting experienced brokers that will simultaneously complement the rapid growth of our west coast operation, while also benefiting from the extraordinary culture that makes Cooper Gay unique,” Novak said.

Leadenhall provides admitted and non-admitted property, casualty and alternative placements exclusively for independent retail brokers in the US.

“In keeping with our strategic business model to expand our domestic wholesale operation, a San Francisco office is a key component,” said Jeremy A. Goodman, Cooper Gay’s chief executive for North America. “This will enable us to better serve our retailers in the western states and, at the same time, provide the required platform for our continued growth throughout the country by supporting the global placement needs of independent agents and brokers.”

Novak joined Cooper Gay in 1993. In 1995, he was posted to the London headquarters for two years where he was responsible for placing large multinational accounts into Lloyd’s and the London company markets. Most recently he has been serving as an assistant vice president and wholesale broker in the New York office.

Founded in 1965, Cooper Gay is one of the largest privately held insurance and reinsurance brokerage groups registered at Lloyd’s of London. The independent company’s worldwide offices are found in over 20 locations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.