About

Johnathan O’Brien, general counsel of AmTrust International Underwriters, made the move in-house in 2015, where he assumed the role of general counsel for a rapidly growing and innovative London based insurance intermediary operating in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Greece. He was responsible for all legal, compliance and regulatory matters across the Group. This consisted of managing day-to-day operational issues, assistance with implementing business strategies and marketing campaigns, advising on new corporate structures, and overseeing data protection and privacy matters. Having lived in London for the past six years, O’Brien decided to move back to Dublin in February 2019, where he joined AmTrust International Underwriters (AIU) as its general counsel responsible for all legal and regulatory affairs. AIU primarily underwrites European liability, US liability, medical malpractice liability, surety and speciality risks. Its primary markets include the US, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France, The Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. The AmTrust Group, incorporating AFSI, joined the Fortune 500 in quarter two of 2017, has over 125 offices globally, with a gross written premium of US$8.4bn in 2017. Prior to moving in-house, O’Brien was a solicitor with leading insurance firm DAC Beachcroft, both at their Dublin and London offices, where he acted on behalf of major UK and international insurers as well as government bodies. Highly regarded, O’Brien commands the respect of his peers. One nominator highlighted that, ‘His skillset combines the best qualities of a knowledgeable insurance lawyer and an internationally experienced legal manager. He has in depth knowledge of the newest developments of the industry, he is innovative in his approach to new regulatory challenges and he has the ability to manage teams in multiple jurisdictions very efficiently. He is friendly, helpful and always open to considering new ideas and he treats external counsel as a valuable partner’.