Markel announces Steven Feng as an underwriter for Warranty and Indemnity

Markel, the insurance operations within the Markel Group, has named Steven Feng as an underwriter for its Warranty and Indemnity (W&I) team. This new arrival forms an integral part of Markel’s strategy as the organization continues to accelerate growth across its W&I portfolio.

Based at Markel’s London office, Feng will report directly to Bryan Dressler, head of W&I at Markel’s international insurance business, where he will be responsible for underwriting the tax risks inherent in W&I transactions. Feng’s skillset complements the team’s existing strengths, which include experience in multiple insurance lines, financial due diligence, and investment rationale expertise, to create a model specifically tailored for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) transactions in the UK and European Economic Area (EEA).

Feng brings a wealth of experience to his underwriting role, having spent more than nine years at professional services firm PwC. After qualifying as an accountant in PWC’s Assurance team, he spent almost five years working within the organization’s London Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Tax team, where he advised private equity clients on a variety of mid-market to high value transactions. During this period, he held several senior roles which included senior associate for M&A tax and M&A tax manager, respectively.

Speaking of Feng’s appointment, Dressler commented: “Markel’s W&I business line was established last year with the purpose of being able to systematically assess the primary pillars of W&I risk – insurance, financial, legal, and tax due diligence – to allow for a streamlined and steady experience for our brokers and insureds. Steven’s background in managing tax risks in line with the cadence of M&A fits this foundation perfectly.”

He concluded: “As an accomplished tax due diligence manager, Steven has the tools and focus to ask the right questions to arrive at the right insurance solutions for our clients at Markel. This will play a crucial role in our plans to continue driving profitable growth for the W&I portfolio and to harness insights from our valuable partnerships with coverholders.”