Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford launches brokerage in Asia

Cooper Gay Swett & Crawford Ltd. has repositioned and rebranded its marine insurance business in Asia, the London-based broker said Tuesday.

Latitude Brokers has launched in Hong Kong as the Asian marine division of Cooper Gay, the broker said in a statement. It eventually will incorporate as a separate entity and will trade as Latitude Brokers Ltd., subject to regulatory approval, according to the statement.

Three senior brokers have been hired to the current marine team led by Tom Fulford-Smith and will become directors of Latitude, the broker said. Vanessa Toucas and Andrew Brooker come to Latitude from FP Marine Risks Ltd., where they served as associate directors, and Charles D'Alton joins from Charles Taylor (Singapore), where he was underwriter for The Standard Club Asia Ltd., according to the statement.

They will be based in Hong Kong.

“Latitude will join Junge & Co. in both Hamburg and Antwerp as our niche marine retail focused brands, while we retain the capability to provide our traditional wholesale and facultative support to existing and new clients,” Toby Esser, CEO of CGSC, said in the statement.